YouTube Stars!

Guest Blogger Emma Samuelson is back with an inspiring post that claims Perfection does not exist!

Emma is a singer-songwriter from California who writes her own songs, sings and plays guitar. Check out the excellent music and ASL videos on her YouTube channel! In Emma's own words, "I am a spiritual person and I love music, listening to it, creating it, and everything about it." Her love of music is obvious in her videos!

Please use this link to see a list of ALL guest blog posts by Emma Samuelson.

Now, Emma tells us about three popular videos that show how some individuals deal with being less than perfect in the eyes of much of society. Read Emma's excellent article, watch the great videos and remember the dream of Martin Luther King Jr - there will come a time when we do not simply look at someone's exterior features, but we will look inside and see "the content of their character."




Everyone has their own idea of what is “normal” or “beautiful” in the world. However, when it comes to physical appearance, society has a large impact on how we view people’s bodies and what constitutes a “perfect” one. We are constantly seeing images of models and celebrities that have rock hard abs, acne-free skin, and a size 2 waistline… but the truth of the matter is, every single human body that resides on this planet is unique in a certain way. Despite the fact that acceptance of others is a trend on the rise, people are still very quick to judge, assume and mock others for what they look like, their style, or even a disorder or disability they may have. Not only can disorders and disabilities make daily life more challenging, but with the dramatic attention received by others, whether it be mean-spirited or not, can cause low self-esteem in those living with that difference.

Cheri, who lives with Vitiligo, a skin pigment disorder, opens up and speaks out about her disorder and how she has moved past the “abnormality” of her appearance. Instead, Cheri challenges us to be confident and embrace our appearance as is in order to fully occupy a life worth living.



Looking further into how we categorize normalcy, a Swiss charity organization entitled Pro Infirmis has helped to raise more awareness around people living with disabilities, challenging the stereotypes that are often more crippling than the disabilities themselves. One project they conducted has received much global attention with the title: “Because Who is Perfect? Get Closer.” Five people living with disabilities were measured, and mannequins were then sculpted using those measurements. The results are very telling in regards to people’s reactions as well as reframing our idea of perfection.



Cassandra, another Dermablend Camo Confession subject, opens up about her acne and really shows how much others intolerance has affected how she saw herself. Just like Cheri, Cassandra emphasizes the importance of self-love and self-worth. One thing she does point out in particular is that she no longer uses make up to hide herself, but instead uses it as a tool of self expression, a perspective that is much more beneficial to one’s confidence.



Ultimately, physical appearance standards need to be challenged; just like a wild horse, stereotypes must be broken. Regardless of what you have said, done or thought in the past, the next time you see someone who looks different than you, send them love and give them a smile. Also, the next time you look at yourself in the mirror and find something you do not like or judge, send that area love to support and affirm your unique beauty. If you take one thing away from these videos, remember what Cassandra said: “A huge misconception in the world is that we think that perfection exists.”

Labels: acne, ASL, beauty, body image, disabilities, Emma Samuelson, emmalane94, exterior, inspiration, inspire, interior, perfect, perfection, self image, sign language, stereotypes, Vitiligo

posted by KennyCrane at 6/30/2014 04:09:00 AM 4 Comments

Last week, Malala Yousafzai gave a short but important speech at the U.N. Malala is a 16 year old girl from Pakistan who was shot in the face by a member of the Taliban because she dared to speak out in favor of education for all children, both boys and girls. She believes that "the pen is mightier than the sword" and that the terrorists who shot her and killed teachers and blasted schools are afraid of her and the changes that are happening in society. Please watch this amazing speech and think about what Malala is saying. You can read more about Malala here. Think about if you want to stand with Malala and stand up for woman's and children's rights. Watch her inspiring speech right here:

Everyone should watch this heartfelt speech. It is inspiring and gives us hope for a better world tomorrow. Please consider clicking the Share button below, and share this on FaceBook, Twitter, and whatever social networks you are on. Thanks!

Labels: children, education, inspiration, inspire, Malala, Malala Yousafzai, Pakistan, rights, speech, UN, woman, Yousafzai

posted by KennyCrane at 7/20/2013 05:04:00 AM 1 Comments

What is the true meaning of Christmas? Well it depends on what you believe about the reality of the world we live in. If you are a Christian, you believe that God provided a way for people to be forgiven for the sins of Adam and Eve as well as their own sins. That way is by sending one part of the Trinity which is God, the Son part, to live the life of a Man and then die prematurely and painfully, to pay for the sins of everyone who chooses to believe in Him. That man was Jesus Christ and the Church has a special Mass on December 25th to celebrate His birth.

Since God gave this gift to all of us in the form of the life and death of Jesus, Christians at some point decided to give gifts to each other, in remembrance and emulation of God's gift to us. In the course of giving out these gifts, we visit with our families and friends. Even those who are not religious can appreciate the fellowship of sharing a meal and pleasant times with loved ones.

Along with the shopping and gatherings of season comes Christmas music. There are two songs in particular that can provide inspiration in our lives. Read on as I tell you my thoughts on two Christmas favorites - The Little Drummer Boy, and Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer.


People came to where Jesus had just been born with gifts for this newborn "King". One young boy was there and saw what was happening. He wanted to give a gift too, but he was poor and had no money. However, he did have a skill. He was a pretty good drummer!

Now some may say that he was given this skill by God. Some think that God decides if and when to give a mother a child, and has a reason for bringing that child into the world, and has a plan for that child's life. If that is the case, then God put us here for a reason, gave us skills for a reason, and it is good to develop our God given skills and use them in service according to God's will.

Others may think that the drummer boy inherited certain skills from his parents by way of the genetic code he received random parts of, from each parent. But still, the child owes it to society to develop their skills for the good of society, because it was society that allowed that child to get to where he presently finds himself. Human animals need contact and care from other humans, or else they die. We are born helpless and we can do nothing on our own to survive for an initial period of time, and it takes us a long time to be able to live independently. By that time, we owe a large debt to society. Our parents and family members fed, clothed and cared for us. Society provided a framework and system of providing food, clothing and all kinds of goods and services for the people of the world. We make a lot of choices and efforts on our own but we also have a lot of infrastructure in place for us. It is good to contribute to society since we have already received so much from it.

In either interpretation, it seems to me that we have an obligation to develop our skills and use them in celebration of what we have received in this life. The Little Drummer Boy presents the baby Jesus with a performance of the thing he knows how to do, play his drum. What is something you are good at? How will you develop that ability even further? Will you use your skills as a thankful gift to what made you who you are, as the Litte Drummer Boy did?



Sometimes it is not so obvious as to what our skills are. Everyone is unique, no two people are exactly alike. We have a set of characteristics that make us who we are. As we live and interact with others, we come to think of some of our traits as assets and others as detriments. We discover certain things we are able to do that bring pleasure and utility to ourselves and others. But we also find that we have certain characteristics that are perceived by others as a weakness or a strangeness.

As we all know, there seems to be something in human nature that instinctively leads us to judge the fitness of our fellow associates. Perhaps by finding their faults and weaknesses, it helps us to feel relatively superior. Further, we seem to identify who will help us in our lives and who will be a drain on our resources. In nature, we see animals making the decision to sometimes abandon the weakest of their young when resources are scarce, or leave behind a group member who is too old or infirm to be useful to the pack. But humans are different from other animals. We can use our imagination to devise new ways of using our skills and characteristics that might not at first seem obvious. We can think about something that at first seems like a weakness or hindrance and discover the hidden utility of this trait.

In Rudolf, we have a tale that shows how this very concept played out. We can identify, because we see that sometimes we have something that is not generally considered useful or worthy of having. It may be that this skill or attribute is only an advantage in certain rare situations. But when that situation arises, we are glad to have it, and so are all our associates! While they may have once shunned us for being different, they now idolize us for this unique thing which all of a sudden has been shown to be very important! Rudolf used his strangely glowing nose to light the way through the storm. What is your unique talent or characteristic? How will you show others that your difference is something to be celebrated? Will you take a moment to praise someone for something they might not even realize they have, like Santa did for Rudolf?

Labels: Christmas, inspiration, inspire, meaning, music, religion, rudolf the red nosed reindeer, the little drummer boy

posted by KennyCrane at 12/19/2012 02:18:00 PM 0 Comments

MadV is at it again! Sporting his trademark "V for Vendetta" mask and hoodie sweatshirt, MadV made this video last month, asking YouTubers to respond with a video about what inspires them. People were instructed to post these response videos on the 5th of November.

It's early in the morning of the 5th of November, and there are 78 responses already! About a year ago, MadV posted his famous "One World" video in which he asked for responders to write a message on their hand. There have been over 2200 responses so far! So I expect to see many more responses to this video. Watch MadV's video then go to YouTube and post your response!

Labels: inspiration, inspire, MadV, one, response, Vendetta, Video, world

posted by KennyCrane at 11/05/2007 02:44:00 AM 0 Comments