Girl Scout troops throughout New York gathered at a Girls’ Forum in Rochester recently to celebrate the scouts involvement in charity and community service. Along with workshops and ceremonies, the Girl Scouts were greeted with the presence of Ugly Betty star, America Ferrera.

Growing up with body image issues, Ferrera recently overcame the ridicule and criticism by using her differences to her advantage. The Emmy winning actress now spends her time speaking to young girls about self-esteem and self-image.

“It took a while for me to be comfortable in using my voice to represent a different kind of girl,” Ferrera says, speaking about the challenges of becoming satisfied with her true self.

After a question and answer with the Girl Scouts, Ferrera joined Girl Scout leaders in a VIP session where she conversed freely. The down-to-earth and charismatic twenty-seven year old spoke about her beliefs on the nation’s perspective.

“Why are we focused on the image at all? Why isn’t the conversation about how women have become valuable beyond what they look like?”

Ferrera passionately told her listeners what aspects of a woman the country should promote.

The “Women of Distinction” dinner later on that night featured a heart-felt speech by Ferrera. Bringing people to tears and inspiring all, she preached about her battles in becoming the successful and empowering young woman she is today.

Being named one of Time Magazine’s Most Influential People, Ferrera has pressure from many directions.

“I still think it’s a journey every day,” says Ferrera.

When asked to sum up her message into a few words, Ferrera tells women of all ages, “Beauty is from the inside out. There’s not enough plastic surgery in the world that can make you feel better. You need to feel good enough from the inside.”

Ferrera has taught and inspired not only these Girl Scouts, but women of all ages to be content with one’s inner self and to embrace the differences people may have – to accept themselves as a whole.

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