Active in Arras politics since 2020, \u00c9l\u00e9onore Laloux proves that "impossible" is not a French word. This thirty-something single-handedly debunks all the misconceptions surrounding Down syndrome. She wears the tricolor sash on her shoulders, but also the colors of change. With this "chromosome of joy," she brings a breath of fresh air to her city council and works for inclusion, mutual support, and kindness.<\/p>\n
Life hasn't always been kind to Eleonore Laloux, but from her very first breath, the vivacious young woman displayed her fighting spirit. Afflicted with a heart defect, her first months of life were far from peaceful. At an age when other babies coo happily and make giraffes squeal, she underwent delicate open-heart surgery. The doctors were rather alarmist and predicted a short life for her. Yet today, Eleonore is an inspiring figure, not to mention a local celebrity.<\/p>\n
Even at the age of four, her face was prominently displayed on billboards throughout the city of Arras, alongside New Year's greetings. She seemed destined for a bright political career. After attending mainstream school through high school, she landed a permanent position in the billing department at the Arras hospital. Despite facing mocking stares and constant self-doubt, she forged her own path with an innate positivity and contagious optimism. For her, disability is primarily a state of mind.<\/p>\n
Moreover, she preferred to adopt a different, more concrete and less stigmatizing label by joining Mayor Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Letruque's list in 2020. A crowning achievement for El\u00e9onore, who wears the sash as well as her difference. But above all, it's the logical continuation of a battle waged by her parents. In 2010, they created the collective "Les Amis d'\u00c9l\u00e9onore" (Friends of El\u00e9onore) to defend the rights and voices of people with Down syndrome<\/a> . This explains the rebellious temperament and eloquence of the thirty-something, accustomed to debating this subject that concerns her more than most.<\/p>\n Elected as a municipal councilor in charge of inclusive transition and well-being, she is far from being a mere figurehead. Far from being simply a cheerful presence, she is a driving force, implementing ideas that should be the norm. While many people have lost faith in politicians, \u00c9l\u00e9onore is restoring that faith with meaningful actions. And since taking on this role, the city of Arras has become a more accessible and welcoming place.<\/p>\n \u00c9l\u00e9onore is the driving force behind traffic lights with countdown timers, providing additional guidance for people with disabilities. With this in mind, she also duplicated 40 street signs, raising them to a height of 1.20 meters so that people like her can better orient themselves in public spaces. She also created a new, fun, and unifying event called the Incluthon to bring together able-bodied people and people with disabilities. No empty promises or empty words here; \u00c9l\u00e9onore is working tirelessly to transform these shared spaces, making sure no one is left behind.<\/p>\n Unlike other politicians who act to polish their image and boost their popularity, \u00c9l\u00e9onore is benevolent by nature. She has no ulterior motives, only goodwill. While the townspeople see \u00c9l\u00e9onore as a heroine, the young woman considers herself an ordinary citizen. She reiterates this in her autobiography, "Triso et alors!" (So What If I Have Down Syndrome!), a book with a telling title that speaks volumes about her mindset.<\/p>\n In addition to her scarf and the cape that some people lend her, \u00c9l\u00e9onore also received the Knight's Medal of the National Order of Merit. This distinction recognizes her perseverance, determination, and commitment to a more equitable society. A few years later, she posed next to the first Barbie doll with Down syndrome, for which she is an ambassador.<\/p>\n Her journey is inspiring, moving, and puts humanity back at the heart of priorities. El\u00e9onore gives a face, a voice, and a new energy to this fight, and helps to shift perspectives with her infectious smile. If altruism had a face, it would be El\u00e9onore, our modern-day Marianne.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Active in Arras politics since 2020, \u00c9l\u00e9onore Laloux proves that "impossible" is not a French word. 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Practical exercises, clear explanations of patterns like imposter syndrome and stories from people who learned to speak up: everything you need to move forward without waiting to \u201cearn\u201d the right to feel good about yourself.<\/p>\n Self-confidence grows mostly through action: every small win is concrete proof of what you can do, far more convincing than a positive affirmation repeated in the mirror. A few strategies psychologists often recommend:<\/p>\n Here, self-confidence isn\u2019t reserved for people who are thin, young or \u201cperfect\u201d: it doesn\u2019t have to wait for weight loss or for some supposed flaw to be fixed. Our articles favor concrete tools over promises of overnight transformation, and remind you that low self-esteem isn\u2019t a personal failure. When distress sets in (anxiety, dark thoughts, isolation), a psychologist or therapist can support you: our content is here to inform, not to replace professional care.<\/p>\n Self-esteem is the value you place on yourself as a person; self-confidence is the belief that you can act and succeed in a given situation. You can feel competent at work while judging yourself harshly as a person. Both can be built, often together, through action and self-compassion.<\/p>\n Imposter syndrome is the persistent feeling that you don\u2019t deserve your success, along with the fear of being \u201cfound out.\u201d First described by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes, who called it the impostor phenomenon, it isn\u2019t a mental illness but a common thought pattern, including among highly competent people. Listing your achievements objectively and talking about it helps defuse it.<\/p>\n Listen without minimizing what she feels, point out specific qualities rather than vague compliments, encourage her to try things without doing them for her, and avoid comparisons. If her distress lasts or gets worse, gently encourage her to talk to a mental health professional.<\/p>\n Keep exploring: find all our psychology topics<\/a>, learn to see your body differently with Body positive<\/a>, explore family life in Parenting<\/a>, and build healthier relationships in Love life<\/a>.<\/p>","parent":6138,"count":380,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":1784,"category_count":380,"category_description":" The Self-confidence section of The Body Optimist helps you build self-esteem day by day, whatever your body, age or background. Practical exercises, clear explanations of patterns like imposter syndrome and stories from people who learned to speak up: everything you need to move forward without waiting to \u201cearn\u201d the right to feel good about yourself.<\/p>\n Self-confidence grows mostly through action: every small win is concrete proof of what you can do, far more convincing than a positive affirmation repeated in the mirror. A few strategies psychologists often recommend:<\/p>\n Here, self-confidence isn\u2019t reserved for people who are thin, young or \u201cperfect\u201d: it doesn\u2019t have to wait for weight loss or for some supposed flaw to be fixed. Our articles favor concrete tools over promises of overnight transformation, and remind you that low self-esteem isn\u2019t a personal failure. When distress sets in (anxiety, dark thoughts, isolation), a psychologist or therapist can support you: our content is here to inform, not to replace professional care.<\/p>\n Self-esteem is the value you place on yourself as a person; self-confidence is the belief that you can act and succeed in a given situation. You can feel competent at work while judging yourself harshly as a person. Both can be built, often together, through action and self-compassion.<\/p>\n Imposter syndrome is the persistent feeling that you don\u2019t deserve your success, along with the fear of being \u201cfound out.\u201d First described by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes, who called it the impostor phenomenon, it isn\u2019t a mental illness but a common thought pattern, including among highly competent people. Listing your achievements objectively and talking about it helps defuse it.<\/p>\n Listen without minimizing what she feels, point out specific qualities rather than vague compliments, encourage her to try things without doing them for her, and avoid comparisons. If her distress lasts or gets worse, gently encourage her to talk to a mental health professional.<\/p>\n Keep exploring: find all our psychology topics<\/a>, learn to see your body differently with Body positive<\/a>, explore family life in Parenting<\/a>, and build healthier relationships in Love life<\/a>.<\/p>","cat_name":"Self-confidence","category_nicename":"confiance-en-soi","category_parent":6138}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8340"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=429321"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":429336,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429321\/revisions\/429336"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/429335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=429321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=429321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=429321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} A woman who embodies change<\/h2>\n
A positive mentality that can be felt in the city<\/h2>\n
What you\u2019ll find in the Self-confidence section<\/h2>\n
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How can you build self-confidence day to day?<\/h2>\n
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Our approach to self-confidence<\/h2>\n
Where to start<\/h2>\n
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Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
What\u2019s the difference between self-confidence and self-esteem?<\/h3>\n
What is imposter syndrome?<\/h3>\n
How can you help a friend who lacks self-confidence?<\/h3>\n
What you\u2019ll find in the Self-confidence section<\/h2>\n
\n
How can you build self-confidence day to day?<\/h2>\n
\n
Our approach to self-confidence<\/h2>\n
Where to start<\/h2>\n
\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
What\u2019s the difference between self-confidence and self-esteem?<\/h3>\n
What is imposter syndrome?<\/h3>\n
How can you help a friend who lacks self-confidence?<\/h3>\n