Today is one of those days where I had nothing scheduled to write, which leaves me to my own indecisive means to determine what to say. I have about a dozen different ideas for things I’d like to share, but I think today I’d like to start with a post about something very important to me.

I saw on article on one of my favorite blogs, Hello Giggles, the other day entitled Five Myths About Modeling. It was written from an older sister who has been in the modeling industry to her younger sister who was interested in getting into it. Wisdom and advice from the older sister and the myths about what it means to be a model. I thought it was interesting because she conveys certain truths… like that when we, the everyday woman, look into the pages of a magazine and see an ad portraying a beautiful model marketing.. something or other – five statements resonate with the viewer about the woman in the image:

I am strong. I am beautiful. I am perfection. I can have fun.  I am in control.

She then proceeds to say being a woman is a privilege – a privilege of mystery and grace and beauty but not the type of beauty that is marketed to us through the media and advertisements. She goes through each statement and succinctly explains why they aren’t as true and how advertisers try to trick us. Models are just like the rest of us. They have problems and limitations and lives. They often feel less than perfect and their job isn’t always fun and can sometimes lead to tears. And models are no more in control of their lives than we are. Everything marketers and advertisers and the photographers and artists of these shoots are doing is continuing to create an illusion and often an unattainable one.

My favorite segment from the article is this:

Beauty is not about what is on the outside. Although it helps to take care of the outside. The most beautiful traits are the timeless ones. I mean, I have a painter friend who looks a little like a genetic collage of Jesus and that Muppet—what’s his name?—Animal. And he acts like he looks. Very wise, very philosophical; but also sometimes very loud and nonsensical, all over the place, though not in a floppy, fish-out-of-water way. More like a frantic squirrel on Redbull sort of way. And he’s the life of every party because of it. He’s mesmerizing. This guy will tell a story—made-up or true—and people have to listen. To every word. I actually slap my knee when I laugh at his stories, because I’m so out of breath and my cheeks hurt so much and there’s nothing left to do but—slap my knee. And he’s never going to grow out of that. His ways are never going to go out of style. That’s not beauty in the traditional sense of the word, but it pulses. Almost like he does have his own soundtrack.

Wouldn’t you rather be like that? This is my question for my sister, for every woman—for every person, for that matter. Wouldn’t you rather that your beauty came from knowing who you are and being yourself and not trying to be like some model whom you’ve never even met? … I know I would.

I love this SO much! This, this resonates with me so thoroughly, so much more deeply than any of those statements about the models in magazines! To truly be yourself, to know who you are! What a gift! I feel like so many people spend so much of their lives grappling over that question… “Who am I?”

I know it took me a long time to start to figure out who I am and to embrace who I am with all my flaws and imperfections. Yes… five years ago, before I got married and before I started this crazy, awesome blessing of a job – I was a lot more petite – I was a lot closer to society’s ideals when it comes to a woman’s figure. But I hated my body and I didn’t much like myself. So while I’m working hard to try and get back to a healthier size – I wouldn’t trade this weight gain for anything. Because I discovered something in my bigger body. I discovered there was more to me than a tiny waist. I started to figure out who I was and I found out that people liked me for who I was and not how I looked. And I no longer hate my body. I no longer look at the girl in the mirror and look for her flaws and nit pick every little thing that society deems as not the ideal. I appreciate who I am and I understand that my body serves a greater purpose – it is the vessel that contains my soul. And the soul is where true beauty lies.

And I believe this so passionately that it effects every facet of my life and my business. When I go into a session – my objective isn’t just to capture the way you look, your body, your vessel – but to seek beneath it and to really uncover and capture your SOUL! Who you are! What you believe! Absolutely – we want to document the milestones and changes of life as kids grow up and families change, but it is always my goal to go further than just a pretty portrait. It’s about finding that part of you that makes you unlike anyone else, celebrating it, sharing it with everyone, and reminding you that that is where your true beauty resides.

The self portrait below was one I took a couple days ago while I was actually contemplating this whole idea, and the words to the right flowed through my fingers one night when I felt the need to write. I would not trade my journey for anything because it has defined me and molded me into who I am. Take out the negative parts and who knows who or where I’d be today. Each step on our journey was perfectly planned for us to imperfectly live and claim as our own.

I hope you all are having a fantastic Friday and have plans for a wonderful weekend! See you on Monday!