Loving Our Selfies-Remember: You're a Role Model
Watch this FIRST:http://youtu.be/XjJQBjWYDTs (thanks Amanda Holloway for bringing this commercial to my attention!)I’ve written about this before, how so many of us look in the mirror and aren’t happy with the whole picture we see. Perhaps some of us are what society and mass media deem as “beautiful”, but when we see that reflection in the mirror it looks like those mirrors at the county fair (can you tell I’m a country girl?), distorted, wiggly, wonky. Maybe others of us see we need to lose a few pounds, or more than a few pounds. Some see brown eyes and want blue, some see curly hair and want straight, the list of what we want and what we don’t have can be endless. But it shouldn’t be.Laying it out there…I struggle with my body image sometimes. I’m not built like a “normal” girl, I didn’t play sports “like a girl” and boy did I ever hear about it growing up! I guess it’s a good thing I was a tomboy and didn’t care about it until I was older, but when your favorite teacher in eighth grade (Good Heavens, right when puberty was hitting full force!), who is also the football coach, tries to get you to try out for the team and tells you if your shoulders get any broader they might not fit through the doorway, you can get a little bit of a complex. Just a little. Of course, he really had no idea that 20 years later I would remember those comments like they were yesterday, and he would never have wanted to hurt my self-esteem intentionally, I know, because I was kinda one of his faves. However, it still sticks with me.
As I approach my next shooting season, it is more important to me than ever to ensure my clients feel comfortable and confident in their own skin. If they have naturally straight hair that doesn’t curl very well, I want them to know that is beautiful and they don’t HAVE to curl it, if it’s naturally curly, it doesn’t HAVE to be a smooth Victoria freakin’ Secret model curl. Part of my job, no, my duty, is to make them feel amazing as they are. YES, I do require hair and makeup, but again, that’s to enhance what’s already there and it makes such a difference SOOC. Speaking of, check out this Dove commercial. Totally made me bawl my eyes out like a lunatic since my mom and aunts haven’t always loved their curly hair and my 2-year-old daughter has curly hair…http://youtu.be/ou7CyPtkpngI guess what I’m trying to say to you is really think about what you’re putting out there in the world, especially to people you have influence on. WAIT- if you’re someone who doesn’t think you influence your clients, first let me tell you, you’re WRONG! They look up to you, respect you, and CHOSE YOU! If you complain about yourself to a client, a teenage girl especially, about your weight, your hair, how your nose looks like that of a Disney cartoon witch, they will take that to heart. When someone hands you a compliment, let’s make a pact to not demean ourselves, let’s graciously say, “well gee, thanks!” or whatever works for you.We’ve all done it. I’m GUILTY! But STOP IT gosh diddly darn it! Or I’m going to hunt you down and punch you “like a girl”, and believe me, it will really, really, hurt.Love your selfie. Even if you feel like you want to improve (notice I said improve, NOT change!) some things about yourself, that’s cool, most of us do, but you still need to love yourself. Believe in yourself and all that other gooey stuff. And if there are days you don’t, message me, I will give you a pep talk as long as you promise to do the same for me.