In many of the buildings on campus, little sticky notes that read “You’re Beautiful” can be seen in the women’s bathrooms.

The notes are a part an initiative called Operation Beautiful, which aims to put an end to negative self-talk.

How it all began

Caitlin Boyle, editor of the Operation Beautiful website, started the campaign in 2009.

“It didn’t start off as a true ‘idea’ for a website and book series,” Boyle said. “I just wanted to do something nice for someone else.”

Boyle said she realized posting the note reminded her she was good enough just the way she was.

She then posted about her notes on her blog for www.healthytippingpoint.com and asked others to place notes of their own.

From there, Operation Beautiful began and she received about 12,000 notes from every continent, including Antartica.

The initiative has also started a “No Makeup Monday,” where Boyle wants to encourage female followers to go bare-faced to embrace their natural beauty.

Boyle recently published the second Operation Beautiful book “Operation Beautiful: One Note at a Time.”

Operation Beautiful on campus

Julie Proctor, the health and wellness coordinator at the Graham Health Center, helped OU observe National Eating Disorder Awareness Week last February.

While Proctor was preparing the week’s events, she came across Operation Beautiful, she said.

“Its mission is to try to do away with the negative messages that we tell ourselves,” Proctor said.

Proctor contacted Boyle last year and asked if she could participate in the campaign, feeling it would be an excellent addition to the campus’ observation of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week.

Proctor said this initiative was something that had been in the back of her mind, which is why it was implemented on campus in January of this year.

These notes will continue to be posted on campus until the end of February.

“We want to encourage people, when they see the post-it, to take a picture of it and put it on Facebook,” Proctor said.

Students and faculty can participate in the campaign on campus by contacting Julie Proctor or by creating their own notes.

Participants are asked to add www.operationbeautiful.com underneath their message and send pictures of them to Caitlin Boyle at [email protected]