Lindsay and Lexie Kite grew up competitively swimming. Since the age of six, these identical twins lived and breathed for diving into a pool and racing to the other side. By the time they got to high school, things changed. They began to notice bodily imperfections and didn’t want other people to see them in their bathing suits, with every insecurity on display when they weren’t in the water.
So they quit.
“All of a sudden our bodies were more important as ornaments than instruments,” Lexie Kite said.
When they went to college, they took a journalism class centered around the perception of women in media and were inspired. They went on to receive their doctorates in media literacy and body image resilience, and they eventually established Beauty Redefined, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the way that women see themselves and directing them toward a path of resilience.
"You are powerful. You are not here to decorate the world. You have work to do," they said.
Their research focused on finding a way to improve women’s self-esteem, and bring them to a place where they could appreciate their bodies overall, instead of just through the perceptions of others.
“We understand our health, our fitness and the power of our bodies in a whole new way when we think about our bodies as something that we can use, something that we can experience,” the Kite sisters said. “And not just something we have to drag around with us and make sure looks amazing at all times.”
Their most recent event was part of the Leadership and Service Center’s Momentum series, and fourth-year supply chain and marketing student Amanda Lindefjeld chose the event to inspire women across campus.
“It’s really all about empowering women,” Lindefjeld said. “I think it’s really important for women to just stick together and really empower each other.”
Third-year chemistry student Mia Jeanty said that the event gave her a new outlook as to how she should perceive herself.
“It really showed me that I shouldn’t be insecure about myself,” Jeanty said.
The Kites do not take a salary for their organization and take pride in the feedback they receive from the women who are inspired by their presentation.
"Seeing people's lives changed," Lexie Kite said. "That's the best part."