When I was checking my email today, I found my weekly update email from PopPhoto.com, the website for Popular Photography magazine. What immediately caught my eye was this photo (click to see article w/ photo)

flash.popphoto.com/blog/200...girl.html

Glamour and the Photo of the Real Girl
When Glamour ran a 3-inch image of a woman whose body doesn't come close to fitting the high-fashion archetype, they were hit with a storm of positive feedback.

Needless to say, I was instantly intrigued. "The real girl" is a topic very close to my heart as a woman and as a photographer. As we are all more than aware, the perception of perfection is a real demon for many of us. My experience as a dancer when I was growing up made that markedly clear when my body decided that I was going to be a shorter, curvy girl instead of a lithe, lean, dancer like many of my peers. I have heard "Lose weight," "Watch your thighs," "You're a beautiful dancer, but...[you're too fat]" and my all time favorite comment, "You're such a pretty girl, but I hate seeing all that weight on you." GAH! I can't even express how much I HATE that one. For me, body image has always been one of my biggest personal issues. When I was in shape - active - fit...I wasn't seeing the curves I had for the beauty of what they were. I look at old photos now and WISH I had that body again. The body that I was convinced was fat and ugly. Now I am actually "fat" and I am struggling to find my solution just to be healthy and fit again. Dealing with weight issues is more than just a struggle with willpower, it is all out psychological warfare against one's self (and often, one's demons). I will admit, just the thought is exhausting, but I haven't resolved myself to "big girl panties" for the rest of my life just yet.

Because of this personal body image challenge, I have really striven to remind the average women around me just how beautiful they are. Imperfections are real. They make us human. They make us beautiful. Nothing is more beautiful than a person who is comfortable in their own skin. If I can help give that sense of ownership of personal beauty back to someone by creating a photo that she can pull out and remind herself that she really is beautiful, then I feel that I've done my job. Average girls, alternative girls, curvy girls...they are all beautiful even if the fashion magazines don't agree. I think we all need to be reminded that the package is not the sum of the person.

So...this article (the one that is actually linked to from the PopPhoto.com article) is well worth the read! This is the second time in the past couple of weeks that "plus sized" (which is a whole OTHER discussion) models have been celebrated (well...or at least talked about in a positive light) by the main stream / fashion world. The other item was the release of the book "Hungry" by model Crystal Renn who describes her struggle with weight in the world of high fashion, and how she has eventually came to embrace her body's natural curves as a plus sized model.

www.youtube.com/watch

Hopefully all this is signaling a trend shift in the world of beauty and fashion that has been long overdue. Only time will tell. Until then, celebrate yourselves and the women in your lives for who they are. Remind them that they are indeed beautiful. And women, remind yourselves that the demon in the mirror doesn't have to be that way, not matter how difficult it is to believe. Strive for healthy, not "perfect" as there really is no such thing. It is in our imperfections that we are most beautiful. ^_^