High school was pure torture for Lexi Dowdy.
“A big group of guys would moo at me in the hallways and everybody would just stare,” Dowdy, 29, tells TODAY.com. “Being fat was the worst thing you could be when I was growing up. It was constant harassment.”
Unable to see a single redeeming quality in her appearance, Dowdy spent years avoiding mirrors. What was the point? It only made her cry.
“I’d go to bed at night and pray that I wouldn’t wake up,” Dowdy says softly. “My self-esteem was nonexistent. I hated everything about myself.”
Just as bullying can have lasting effects, a compliment, no matter how small, can deeply impact someone’s spirit. That’s the message Dowdy shared in a powerful TikTok video about an interaction with a cafeteria worker at her Colorado high school.
“I was getting in line to have my wrap made, and she looked at me, and exclaimed loudly, ‘Oh my God, you have the most beautiful skin. Are you Scandinavian?’” Dowdy recalled in the clip. “Just the thought that I had one feature that somebody perceived as beautiful was life-changing for me. And I’m not trying to be dramatic, but it genuinely started to change how I viewed myself.
“A kind lunch lady can literally save a kid’s life,” she added.
Dowdy, a baker in Arkansas, currently runs her business, Moonbeams Bakery, out of a gas station with hopes of growing it into a standalone shop. She firmly believes that no matter your occupation, you have an opportunity to make a difference and connect with others.
“Every job is important. That lunch lady planted the first seed that made me think, ‘Hey, maybe I’m not an ugly monster. Maybe I am pretty.’ And I carry that with me.”
Now Dowdy passes that kindness forward, one compliment at a time.
