I have mulled this over in my brain. I think about this way too much and finally I have to share it. I believe in this with my whole heart.
Do you ever wish you looked like someone else? That your butt wasn’t so big, that your boobs were bigger, that your hair was straight, that your hair was curly, that your eyes were rounder, that your nose was smaller, that you were taller, that your feet were smaller, that you weren’t you?
It seems like every where we turn we are constantly being told what is beautiful, and it fits into this neat, little box, and has a perfect bow on it. And unless we have plastic surgery, and are then photoshopped to the max we aren’t it. If we don’t spend an insane amount of time working out and counting every calorie we are told we won’t be it. And you know what? I am over it.
To the teenage girl who is growing and gets stretch marks.. I hear ya. I grew so fast I had zebra stripes.. I wanted to hide them, because I was sure that they meant I was fat. Not that my skin just couldn’t grow as fast as my bones. And acne, oh my gosh. I remember wanting to die. But, I look back and wish I could tell my teenage self to embrace who I am. The zebra stripes, well I am THAT tall. I did grow THAT much, and I really like being THAT tall. And stretch marks, well they happen.
To the engaged girl who is sure she needs to lose 5 more pounds to be beautiful, love yourself. Be healthy. Treat your body healthy. I worried for years about losing 5 pounds to be a better version of me. When I started being healthy, my body became what I wanted it to be. Feed your body good healthy foods, exercise your body, and be kind to yourself. You are amazing.
To the pregnant woman. I hear you. I so hear you. I hid from the camera. I was sure I looked like a beached whale. And in fact I didn’t carry a cute little belly, I have pictures to prove it. But I did create a life. My body changed, it stretched… I had new stripes added to my belly, and my body never was the same. But each change shows that my children were worth it. My body might not look like it did when I was 16. But my life isn’t what it was when I was 16 either, it is so much richer, and I am blessed.
To the Mom. I am there with you right now. 30 something and realising you don’t look 20 anymore. Am I the only one who just realised this? Because I don’t look 20. And I was kinda sad when I realised this. Embrace the change in you. Wrinkles are going to happen.. ageing is going to happen, do it with grace. Document it for your children, for them to know what is real. What real women and men look like.
I believe in being YOU, not an artificial you. Part of the reason I love my job is because I get to capture the beautiful you. I read all of the time about photographers not comparing themselves to other photographers and it is so true. And it is true with this. If you stop comparing yourselves to others, and really love who you are wouldn’t you be happier? Wouldn’t your beauty shine through even more if you loved who you were, and weren’t wishing you were someone else.
I believe in this with my whole heart. I have two kids. They changed my body. They changed my mind. They changed my heart. If I can teach them one thing, it would be to be true to who they are. Not to change because society says we need to look a certain way. To accept themselves and others around them for who they are. How many of us would look at our best friend and say, “wow did you see that picture on the magazine? Why don’t you look like that? I bet I would like you more. Especially if your lips were really plump, and your eyes were perfectly spaced, and your body looked like it was straight from a Victoria’s Secret ad, then I would really, really, really be your best friend.” No? How about we treat ourselves a little more like we would our best friend?
Every shoot I go on, I have one mission. For people to see how truly beautiful they are, and how unique they are. How great they are. This is a passion of mine. I have yet to meet a client who wasn’t beautiful. And I love when people start to see themselves as I see them. The gap in your front teeth makes you you. The crooked smile makes you unique. The splash of freckles is part of who you are. The nose you have, your ears, your eyes. Your hands, your feet, your body, your shape, your height, your size, all of it makes you you. Changing yourself, and altering your appearance doesn’t make you more you. Be you. The one that God made. The one that your Mother loves. The one that you were meant to be from the day you were born. Be you.
