I remember when I was 16, I came into the kitchen one morning for breakfast. I wasn’t greeted with my mother’s usual, “Good morning,” but rather by a look of shock mixed with a slight hint of amusement.
“Shellie, where did you get that?” she asked, trying to hold back her laughter.

Shellie, makeup is meant to enhance what you have, not change who you are.” Definitely words to live by.

Immediately, I was embarrassed — and defensive. I knew exactly what she was referring to. One of the “presents” that I received for my 16th birthday was my mother’s permission (and blessing) to wear, rather than sneak, lipstick. I guess with the new-found freedom, I got a little carried away; the first shade that I went for was bright pink coral ... something that was totally wrong for my complexion and features ... something that misrepresented who I was.
    “Shellie, makeup is meant to enhance what you have, not change who you are.” Definitely words to live by.
    The late Irish playwright, poet and novelist, Oscar Wilde, once said, “A man’s face is his autobiography. A woman’s face is her work of fiction.” It appears that even in the late 1800s, Mr. Wilde knew that there was a deep,  innate pressure for women to wear masks; not just on the outside, but to cover up their internal identities, too.
    In trying to hide our “flaws,” I worry that we end up covering all of the wrong things: the obstacles, the fears, the habits, the mistakes, the lessons that make us exceptional individuals ... the things that truly define who we are and what we mean in this world. I wonder how many of us, in the efforts to conceal our pasts, have missed out on what exposing them show us: the beauty that comes in not only learning from them, but how beneficial it can be when we openly and unapologetically share our life experiences with others.
    Here are four women who have boldly and beautifully pulled off their masks, and their stories are proof that:
    You may be physically stunning, but that doesn’t mean you don’t battle with self-image issues.
    You may have great breasts, but that doesn’t mean they don’t come at a high price.
    You may have the husband, kids and great job, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have moments when you feel like you’ve totally lost yourself in caring for them.
    And, you may have found your soulmate, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t come with years — 24 to be exact — of tears, heartaches and sacrifice.
    These ladies, like all of us, are survivors, yes.  But they’re so much more. By removing their masks on the pages of Her Nashville, they have become life teachers offering great lessons. Hopefully their revelations will encourage others to remove their masks, too. There is something truly beautiful and inspiring about living a life in a way that is naked and not ashamed.