Culver, IN -- (ReleaseWire) -- 10/31/2018 --How would you define beauty? Ava Viohl, a senior high school student at Culver Academy, has launched an effort to shed light on the social ideas of beauty and spread the message of accepting beauty within through an educational campaign of outreach via speaking engagements, podcasts, web based marketing, social media engagement and public service announcements.
Viohl is seeking to redefine beauty by challenging the beauty industry's narrow definition of what is beautiful and encouraging others to accept and love their individuality through what she calls her "Unbeauty Mark; The Beauty Within" education and acceptance campaign.
"Imagine a world where everyone is beautiful," said Viohl, who was recently featured in a local TEDX video production. "Not the make believe reality seen on television or social media. But rather an environment where people are drawn to and celebrate the beauty of each individual's uniqueness, rather than the sameness that society has told us is beautiful."
Viohl, 17, said the idea behind Unbeauty Mark started about a year and a half ago. "I spent my early childhood growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where I attended a private school in a very tony, exclusive suburb. There I was keenly made aware of my differences. And not in a way that was embraced," said Viohl. "Being short, I was physically picked up at times, and with curly hair I was always being asked 'Is that an afro?' like it was a bad thing."
As the daughter of an African American mother from Southern California and German born father, Viohl said there was many places in the world she would have fit in well, but she certainly was an anomaly in Milwaukee and more specifically at the suburban school.
"At that school there was a certain manicured waspy country club look that fit a very narrow singular construct of what beauty is; and I didn't fit that mold," said Viohl. Adding, "this is not a criticism, but rather an observation of an environment not very open. So not only were there constant societal pressures and social media reminders of who I'm not and who I should be, I also had to internally address how it made me feel to not fit in."
Through her own struggles with body image, Viohl challenges the beauty industry's narrow definition of what is beautiful and encourages others to accept and love their "Unbeauty Mark."
The concept of Unbeauty Mark is to create a forum to explore what beauty really is and how to accept not fitting into the fashion industry's or social media's air brushed standard of beauty. "Who says your height and shape isn't beautiful," Viohl asks. "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 who they should be or someone else's definition of what is beautiful."
"I want to change how we see and define beauty," said Viohl. "I want to give beauty the freedom to be anything. So, accept your thighs that don't gap or pants that aren't a size two. Accept, embrace and love your Unbeauty Mark."
To schedule Viohl to speak to your group or organization please call (574) 216-6345. For more information regarding the Unbeauty Mark campaign go to www.unbeautymark.com,view Viohl's TEDX video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-p8hwEIQ64 or hear Viohl discuss her journey and Unbeauty Mark at https://www.abc57.com/news/teen-founds-unbeauty-mark-campaign-to-promote-self-love.