Enlarge An inspirational image submitted to Operation Beautiful.

Posted: August 24th, 2010 Aleigh Acerni

Crossroads Charlotte occasionally spotlights individuals who are improving the city's social capital.

Last summer, after hearing women pick themselves apart in front of the mirror and realizing she was guilty of it herself, Caitlin Boyle scribbled, “You are beautiful!” on a sticky note, stuck it to a mirror in a public bathroom, and left it there for someone else to find — snapping a picture for her blog.

It was a small, impulsive act, but it kick-started a movement.

Once word of Caitlin’s simple gesture started to spread, women around the country (and the world) started sending in pictures of their own uplifting messages, left on signs, gym scales, mirrors, inside books, and anywhere else negative thoughts tend to lurk.

The project snowballed into Operation Beautiful, a web site that shares images of the positive notes, and a newly released book, Operation Beautiful: Transforming the Way You See Yourself One Post-it Note at a Time.

Boyle’s message of positivity resonates with women (and men) all over the world — and it’s found a home right here in the Queen City. “One neat thing that happened in Charlotte recently was at the Run For Your Life four-miler,” Boyle says. “A group of five or six girls made signs on their backs with inspirational quotes. There were so many people high five-ing us.”

“What’s so unique about this is that I didn’t necessarily do this to start a web site or write a book,” Boyle adds. “I knew there was a community of people who cared and wanted to feel better about themselves. That was last summer. I’ve received about 7,000 notes from all around the world.”

Why she does what she does? “I personally know how helpful this positive messaging can be,” Boyle says. “Operation Beautiful started because I was having a really bad day. Then the notes just started pouring in. I literally get emails that begin with, ‘Operation Beautiful saved my life.’ Before I was involved with this, I might have doubted that a little note from a stranger could really affect someone that positively. They’re looking for a sign. We all do that. For a lot of people, these notes are the sign that they’ve been waiting for.”

What's next? “I’m not sure,” says Boyle. “I think that this experience has really made me understand that everybody has a story. So often we go through life thinking we’re the only individual with a story. Everyone has their issues, everyone has their history, everyone has something to say.”

Recently, Boyle has started working with Girls on the Run, a Charlotte-based nonprofit organization that works to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living. “There might be an Operation Beautiful kids book someday,” she says.

Know someone who is a connector for a community?
Nominate that person to be profiled by a Crossroads Charlotte Correspondent. Email his or her name, phone number and email address and a brief description of what they do to Crossroads Charlotte. If your nominee is selected, you will be contacted by a correspondent.

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