The Glo Up
Everyone is familiar with how the "Ugly Duckling became a Swan" story, right? It's the idea that you may initially appear physically one way in life and as you grow and develop, you blossom into something unmistakeably beautiful. Honestly, I don't really like the idea of calling someone "ugly" while they are growing, so I will use "Glowing Up." My idea of "The Glo Up" is having those awkward, strange clothes, not so good hair days, and lots of acne during your middle school, high school, and maybe even college years. These days, you know how to slay your eyebrows, the high lighter on your face is popping, and you have the money to buy decent clothes. Even your ideas and thoughts about life have evolved. "The Glo Up" is real and I will use myself as an example.
I look at this picture and I say "Thank God for deliverance" because there is a lot going on here. The first being that I thought it was a good idea to let my best friend give my hair highlights using a box of color from Wal-Mart. It didn't help that it was a bright blond and my hair started breaking off right after. Not only that, I was still dealing with acne that had been plaguing me since high school. I'm not even going to address the fashion choices because clearly I thought what I had on at the time was cute.
It wasn't just my appearance that needed some work. I didn't have much self confidence and my life was like a Kanye West lyric: "She has no idea what she's doing in college." Add that to the typical mistakes you make in college and you have a guaranteed hot mess. A woman later approached me at church one Sunday and said "Once you hit 23, the veil will lift and the fog will clear. Everything will start to make sense." I wasn't keen on receiving that advice but she ended up being right. All of the pieces of the puzzle that were missing started to make sense when I turned 23. I'm not sure why that age ended up being special but things clicked into place.
The Glo Up simply means the glow that you emit to the people around you. Your confident, self assured, and positivity is coming out of your pores. Everyone can see the bright light that surrounds you because you've worked for it, and you’ve earned it.
Everyone's journey to the "The Glo Up" is different. For some, it could be about fixing the inside first, then working on the outer. For others, it could simply mean that you stopped using pack hair and have been converted to bundles. Maybe you've started a new fitness journey, let go of the f**kboys in your life, or moved to a new city to get a fresh start. For some, it could be about fixing the inside first, then working on the outer. My glow was all about fixing my inner-self and then letting it transmit to the outside. My mindset is now different and I feel refreshed when it comes to anything concerning my well being.
There is no greater feeling than seeing other women out and about feeling good about themselves. You can always tell just by the way they move and how we greet one another. There is also no greater feeling than walking into a women's bathroom and hearing "Hey girl, your lipstick is popping" and being able to return the complement.
Whether you've reached your glow or are still making your way there, just know that others have been where you are and are probably still working on maintaining it. Just know that you have a team of people cheering for you and ready to gas you up once that light starts to shine. That's "The Glo Up" for real.
