I’m a 20-year-old college student, attending the University of Virginia, on a journey to find the true meaning of beauty. Growing up, I never fit into the typical social standard of beauty. Being the product of an African American mother and a German father made it difficult for me to fit in. My mixture of European and African features seemed to be an anomaly compared to my blonde hair and blue eyed peers. Over the last 17 years, my passion for travel and service has grown and is what initially sparked my questioning of the social constructs of beauty. While experiencing the cultures of Thailand, Australia, and Tanzania, I discovered that beauty goes beyond the surface level and is something deeper within us. Beauty is not the number on the scale or the size in your jeans. Beauty is something bigger than you or me. Beauty is infinite.  

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      The idea of Unbeauty Mark came to me in a dream. In this dream, I was a speaker at a TED conference where I spoke about moving past physical beauty. Two years later, this dream became a reality. On December 9th, 2017, I gave my first TEDXTalk at the TEDXCulverAcademies event which was the debut of Unbeauty Mark.

      Unbeauty Mark is a platform where each and every person will feel embraced and celebrated for who they are and reject the conventional standards of what society wants them to be. Accepting your Unbeauty Marks is the first step in moving beyond a singular beauty and finding beauty within.