In a move to promote positivity and self-acceptance, a high school in southern California has replaced all the mirrors in the girls’ bathrooms with notes of affirmation. Posters carried handwritten messages like “You are beautiful,” “Keep your head up” and “Think positive be positive,” which were written by students.
The move was spurred on by 17-year-old Sabrina Astle, who figured that girls on campus could use a pick-me-up while in the bathrooms instead of looking at themselves in the mirrors.
Speaking to FOX 5, Laguna Hills High School activities director Chelsea Maxwell said that Astle came up with the idea during the school’s “What If…” Week, which carries a different message each day and proposes activities for the campus community. On March 23, the message of the day was “What if we showed more love?”
Astle told ABC News that she wanted to “make a difference” through the school’s Kindness Club with the project.
“This is why I started making the posters in the first place,” she said. “I felt that this would be a good time to hang the signs. I put the signs in the bathroom the night before so students would see them throughout the next day.”
“The signs have helped people remember that everyone is beautiful, everyone is important, everyone is good enough and everyone should be treated equally,” said Astle. “I did this because I am passionate about the fact that everyone is important and everyone needs to be cared for.”
She says that it was well-received by other students, who were delighted by her efforts.
“Our hope is that the signs remind our girls to focus on everything they are —smart, loved, important—and so much more,” Maxwell said.
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.
