For this man, makeup isn't just a hobby. It's an identity.

    
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"I’m definitely really comfortable in my skin," Kody says. But a few years ago, that wasn't the case.

When Kody was in high school, he hadn't yet come out as gay. He was young and still figuring out who he was.

"I wanted to fit in," he says. "I wanted to be just like everyone else."

All photos by L'Oreal Dermablend.

He struggled with his identity, trying to reconcile who he knew he was and who he wanted to be. It wasn’t until he accepted himself that he was able to begin moving forward.

"I came out when I was 19," Kody says. "It was terrifying. I was so afraid of what people would think." But once he took the leap, he realized that he was free. "You unlock the door, and now you can live your life and express the way you feel."

Free to start expressing himself without shame, Kody began to explore. He found his passion somewhere unexpected: in makeup.

"Once I discovered makeup and once I discovered I was good at it, I started to feel more comfortable about who I am," Kody explains. Makeup gave Kody an opportunity to show off his personality in a more visual way, as a form of art and expression.

Now as a professional makeup artist, Kody uses Dermablend on all his customers, from those with "perfect" skin to those with a skin condition.

He loves it because it improves the appearance of one’s complexion without feeling like a lot of makeup. Dermablend also boasts high-performance pigments which allow the foundation and concealer to cover any skin condition. So no matter who Kody's applying makeup to, the end result is flawless.

Kody hopes that, with his help, many more people will embrace who they are because they finally feel comfortable in their own skin.

"All you have to do is just be yourself, and if you do want to wear makeup, the choice is all up to you."

Watch Kody’s story of using makeup to find empowerment:

Dermablend Reflections: Kody
Growing up, he always felt different, but now he loves what he sees in the mirror. And he's helping to spread that feeling.
Posted by Upworthy on Friday, December 1, 2017

But makeup didn’t just help Kody find his identity. It also helped him find his purpose.

"Before, I just didn’t see where I was supposed to go in life," he says. Like any young person, Kody had a hard time figuring out what his passion was and how he could incorporate it into his career. But makeup turned out to be the answer to that question, too.

"I love how I can make a customer feel really good about how they feel," Kody says. "It really makes me want to help others." He works hard to help his clients make sure their face reflects exactly what they feel on the inside. And when he gets it right, he can tell right away. "Usually their face just brightens up. They glow up," he says.

Kody wants to spread the message that makeup isn’t something you should use to hide. It’s something you should use to reveal who you truly are.

"You’re beautiful with or without makeup," Kody insists. He emphasizes that makeup is something that anyone can do — or choose not to do. "Makeup is definitely a choice. It’s a very good way to have an outlet to express yourself."

In the end, it’s all about being true to yourself. "It doesn’t matter if you’re a boy, if you’re a girl," he says. "Whatever you want to express, whatever you want to feel, you just do it."

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Her feelings of hope quickly blossomed into a vision for her future when she learned that Veteran's Village was taking applications for residents to move in later that year after construction was complete.

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We're redefining what normal means in these uncertain times, and although this is different for all of us, love continues to transform us for the better.

Love is what united Marie-Claire and David Archbold, who met while taking a photography class. "We went into the darkroom to see what developed," they joke—and after a decade of marriage, they know firsthand the deep commitment and connection romantic love requires.

All photos courtesy of Marie-Claire and David Archbold

However, their relationship became even sweeter when they adopted James: a little boy with a huge heart.

In the United States alone, there are roughly 122,000 children awaiting adoption according to the latest report from the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. While the goal is always for a child to be parented by and stay with their biological family, that is not always a possibility. This is where adoption offers hope—not only does it create new families, it gives birth parents an avenue through which to see their child flourish when they are not able to parent. For the right families, it's a beautiful thing.

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James was born with congenital hyperinsulinism, a rare condition that causes his body to overproduce insulin, and within 2 months of his birth, he had to have surgery to remove 90% of his pancreas. There was a steep learning curve for the Archbolds, but they were already in love, and knew they were committed to the ongoing care that'd be required of bringing James into their lives. After lots of research and encouragement from James' medical team, they finally brought their son home.

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Courtesy of Tory Burch

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This March marks one year since the start of the pandemic… and it's been an incredibly difficult year: Over 500,000 people have died and hundreds of thousands have lost their jobs. But the pandemic's economic downturn has been disproportionately affecting women because they are more likely to work in hard-hit industries, such as hospitality or entertainment, and many of them have been forced to leave their jobs due to the lack of childcare.

But throughout all that hardship, women have, over and over again, found ways to help one another and solve problems.

"Around the world, women have stepped up and found ways to help where it is needed most," says Tory Burch, an entrepreneur who started her own business in 2004.

Burch knows a thing or two about empowering women: After seeing the many obstacles that women in business face — even before the pandemic — she created the Tory Burch Foundation in 2009 to empower women entrepreneurs.

And now, for International Women's Day, her company is launching a global campaign with Upworthy to celebrate the women around the world who give back and create real change in their communities.

"I hope the creativity and resilience of these women, and the amazing ways they have found to have real impact, will inspire and energize others as much as they have me," Burch says.

This year's Empowered Women certainly are inspiring:

Shalini SamtaniCourtesy of Shalini Samtani

Take, for example, Shalini Samtani. When her daughter was diagnosed with a rare immune disorder, she spent a lot of time in the hospital, which caused her to quickly realize that there wasn't a single company in the toy industry servicing the physical or emotional needs of the 3 million hospitalized children across America every year. She was determined to change that — so she created The Spread the Joy Foundation to deliver free play kits to pediatric patients all around the country.

Varsha YajmanCourtesy of Varsha Yajman

Varsha Yajman is another one of this year's nominees. She is just 18 years old, and yet she has been diligently fighting to build awareness and action for climate justice for the last seven years by leading school strikes, working as a paralegal with Equity Generations Lawyers, and speaking to CEOs from Siemen's and several big Australian banks at AGMs.

Caitlin MurphyCourtesy of Caitlin Murphy

Caitlin Murphy, meanwhile, stepped up in a big way during the pandemic by pivoting her business — Global Gateway Logistics — to secure and transport over 2 million masks to hospitals and senior care facilities across the country. She also created the Gateway for Good program, which purchased and donated 10,000 KN95 masks for local small businesses, charities, cancer patients and their families, immunocompromised, and churches in the area.

Simone GordonCourtesy of Simone Gordon

Simone Gordon, a domestic violence survivor and single mom, wanted to pay it forward after she received help getting essentials and tuition assistance — so she created the Instagram account @TheBlackFairyGodMotherOfficial and nonprofit to provide direct assistance to families in need. During the pandemic alone, they have raised over $50,000 for families and they have provided emergency assistance — in the form of groceries — for numerous women and families of color.

Victoria SanusiCourtesy of Victoria Sanusi

Victoria Sanusi started Black Gals Livin' with her friend Jas and the podcast has been an incredibly powerful way of destigmatizing mental health for numerous listeners. The podcast quickly surpassed a million listens, was featured on Michaela Coel's "I May Destroy You," won podcast of the year at the Brown Sugar Awards, and was named one of Elle Magazine's best podcasts of 2020.

And Upworthy and the Tory Burch are just getting started. They are still searching the globe for more extraordinary women who are making an impact in their communities.

Do you know one? If you do, nominate her now. If she's selected, she could receive $5,000 to give to a nonprofit of her choice through the Tory Burch Foundation. Submissions are being accepted on a rolling basis — and one Empowered woman will be selected each month starting in April.

Nominate her now at www.toryburch.com/empoweredwomen.

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