“Am I enough?” It’s a phrase women ask of themselves every day. We may not be bold enough to admit it out loud, but when probed a little, we all have aspects of our lives that make us feel unworthy, like we need to change ourselves to be accepted.
Ladies (and gents) let us say this to you loud and clear: this question is nothing but a marketing ploy to coerce you into consumerism! Essentially the industry has created a great tool to keep us buying and spending in the guise that we might become happier if we have a certain product, item of clothing, service rendered unto us etc.
And yes, the media, advertising and fashion has played its part in perpetuating this because when consumerism thrives, so do they. Do you feel creeped out and violated yet? You should, but don’t worry because there are also many reasons to have hope. For starters, we exist!! And we are here to fill your lives with positive messages and stories everyday that will only serve to equip and empower you.
And second, there are many women and men who are also tired of these predator-like trends (let’s just call it what it is, people!) and are creating content and messages to thwart the negativity.
One of those said groups of people is an all-female band from Texas called The Mrs. These 5 women started making music about women like themselves, because no one else is.
“Amid tales of teenage heartbreak and gone-wild nights at the club, where’s the music for women like us? We weren’t hearing our lives reflected on the radio, so we decided to sing it ourselves,” says their website.
Andra Liemandt, Mandy Prater, Jennifer Zavaleta, Jenny Mason, and Larissa Ness from Austin, released their debut song in June 2014 called ‘I’m Enough’ which is all about combating the notion that women stop becoming valuable after a certain. All of these incredibly talented and beautiful women are mothers, wives, musicians, career women and have all been on journeys that they feel shouldn’t force them to be relegated to the sidelines of life.
“Our issues aren’t any less burning and our adventures are just as songworthy…we hope to pave the way for other hardworking, dedicated female musicians who have been in the trenches — not just as musicians, but also as wives, mothers, breadwinners and more,” they claim on their Facebook page.
Accompanying the song is a video, unlike the majority of music videos you will find on Youtube or anywhere else. It is more like a short film showing the behind the scenes of a beauty experiment played out in a busy suburban shopping mall.
A huge mirror was set up in a booth and a signed asked “how do you feel when you look in the mirror”. The women were asked to rate their appearance on a scale from “woof” to “hot”. The majority of women who were middle-aged tend to rate themselves on the lower end of the spectrum.
“[The song] was written to help women see themselves with a less critical eye, and realize that they are ‘Enough’ just the way they are. Instead of creating a traditional music video, we opted to do something unconventional: take our message directly to the women who inspire us,” says the Youtube description of the video.
“ENOUGH” looking in the mirror with such a critical eye.
“ENOUGH” of that negative voice we hear in our heads.
“ENOUGH” letting the world tell us who we should be.
It turns out the mirror is actually a two-way screen, kinda like those you see in the movies when an investigator is interrogating a criminal and there are other police officers watching behind a mirror. In this version, the female shoppers hear a voice tell them to stop under-rating themselves and moves them to tears simply from sharing a few encouraging words.
Isn’t it shocking to see what a hard exterior we are forced to put up and how we have subconsciously as women believed the lie that we are not enough? If these women crumble so easily and break down that emotional barrier simply by hearing another person tell them they are beautiful, imagine if every woman everywhere heard these powerful messages everyday of her life?
The video is touching to watch, but it is also meant for you. When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Do you scold yourself for how you look? Do you make a mental checklist of what needs to be changed or altered? Or do you feel blessed to have a body that you can experience life in with your family and loved ones?
Watch the video below and please share it with a woman who you know could benefit from the knowledge that she is enough.
