Caitlin: “I think my message gives an alternative to help re-program [girls' mindsets] to, ‘we’re all human, we all have flaws, it’s OK. That’s my main passion, you know, real beauty and makeup and having girls take off their makeup and show their real skin.”

Those are a set of lyrics from the song “Imperfect is the New Perfect” by Caitlin Crosby. I’m sure you caught a theme in those words. Looking like models and the fashion magazine isn’t realistic. In Caitlin’s case, she’s not even interested in trying. She knows its not perfection itself that’s beauty. It’s in a person’s supposed “flaws” that true beauty begins. Loving your flaws is actually a major passion for Caitlin. So much so that she started a website to encourage others to embrace their flaws, www.loveyourflawz.com. Love Your Flawz was started by both Caitlin & Brie Larson, a young singer and actress, in an effort to challenge society’s perceptions of beauty. But before you can understand Love Your Flawz, you really have to understand the women who started it.

“I’m learning with the older that I get that some feelings are just universal and that I’m not the only one who hates their hair or their life at times.”

Brie Larson is the easier of the two. While she’s always been passionate about not adhering to society’s expectations, the website is Caitlin’s baby. Still, Brie isn’t one to sit by and accept the world as it is. Brie started her career at 6 years old with some small acting roles before releasing a pop album in her early teens. (Think early Mandy Moore style songs). It didn’t take long for Brie to grow disillusioned with the world of fame. “I wanted to be myself, and it slowly turned into not being me at all, so just didn’t really see the point.” In one early interview she mentioned how often she was told she was too tall or too blonde. “The one that really bugs me is that I’m told I’m too smart to make it in this industry. It can be hard sometimes to hear stuff like that,” says Brie. Brie didn’t let the words of others get to her too much. Instead she turned her back on the produced music world, stuck with acting and took up blogging as a way to both vent and interact with her fans. Brie’s blog has been a place of randomness over the years, but through it all, she’s clearly a woman who knows what she is. Recognizing her own beauty explains why she chose to join with Caitlin in starting Love Your Flawz. “We have for too long felt inferior and we strive to change that!” explains Brie. “Love Your Flawz is dedicated to the progress of women’s body image.”

Caitlin: “My happiest moments in life were either when I finished a song I was proud of or after playing someone a song, and seeing them get deeply touched by it. That’s the greatest joy to me. To be able to communicate and relate to people.”

Body image is something Caitlin Crosby is all too familiar with. As the daughter of a model and actor’s manager, Caitlin has been surrounded by the world of Hollywood and all the superficiality it brings. Being around that many actors (her dad manages Charlize Theron among others) naturally sent Caitlin into the acting world. She had a few small parts but soon realized that music was her true love. “I prefer the music world and writing songs because I wasn’t fulfilled by reading other peoples’ lines from scripts and going on auditions all the time. I feel 100% me and creative with music – more free,” says Caitlin. That love of music led her to write songs about what was on her heart. “I didn’t want to make an album full of love songs. I really have strong opinions and passions about serious issues in our generation.” Caitlin’s passion for others opened her eyes to the way more girls than just her suffered from society’s idea of beauty. Caitlin’s heart for young women to value themselves and not believe the lies of the airbrushed were the beginning of a movement that would ultimately become Love Your Flawz.

Tyler Shields Photo. Brie: “I think anyone who loves fashion is really expressing themselves, like art in some ways.”

As mentioned earlier, Love Your Flawz was created because Caitlin & Brie wanted to promote a positive image ideal. “The LoverYourFlawz.com project is so important to me because I think the media – as far as certain beauty magazines etc – sends out negative messages and shows us unattainable images that leave most people feeling insecure,” explains Caitlin. “I wanted to help people see that it’s who they are on the inside that makes them beautiful and special, and that it’s the imperfections and unique quirks that make us unique and cool.” So Caitlin and Brie launched a website dedicated to self-image. And then Caitlin hit the road. “She has been compiling videos and pictures for 3 years now,” says Brie. “I have witnessed many a moment, when she would pull over to the side of the road, screeching, to try to convince a girl with amazing freckles to not only love them, but also, make a video contribution. The end product has brought me to tears.” The end product was Caitlin’s music video for her song “Flawz”.

LoveYourFlawz.com grew from a simple website to a fully interactive site, full of quotes, videos, and photos, all about promoting a healthy body image. It became a revolution of loving your flaws. The site now hosts hundreds of images and sees thousands of visitors. Caitlin’s gained celebrity support to, proving that even within the world of beauty, people still struggle with self-image. The best thing about Love Your Flawz is that you can get involved. Submit a photo or blog entry to the site, then start spreading the word. Love Your Flawz isn’t about changing society’s single perception of beauty to a different one. It’s about embracing everyone as unique and beautiful. What you call a flaw, Caitlin & Brie call beautiful. It’s time you do the same.

I started this article with a few of the lyrics from a Caitlin Crosby song. But it’s the end of that song, where the message is truly powerful.

Just dry your eyes, you’re beautiful
I understand its logical, cause these images are everywhere
They’re make believe so don’t compare.
We’re every shape & size, you know we’re just perfect.
We love our hips, our thighs because they’re just perfect.
Imperfect is the new perfect.