VOILA! This is me.
So a few months ago, i embarked on a body image project especially for this blog. A photo-shoot with a difference, I wanted to highlight body image issues that are usually taken care of by Photoshop for glossy magazines, advertisements and fashion shoots.
Here I have decided to put myself out there for all the world to see, in hope of bringing a little confidence to someone who feels crappy about their body. Working as a personal shopper & stylist,clients have often said to me “Its ok for you, you’re skinny, you can wear anything”. Well here’s the proof that in my mind, those clients are WRONG. My point being that no one is perfect but our little physical flaws are almost invisible to everyone but ourselves, because other people see the whole you and not the you that you know, staring back at you in great naked detail in the mirror, when your feeling bloated or unloved.
Take the first picture above. Thats me, thats the real, whole me, dressed for a normal day in the life of me. the Laura that customers meet and that has friends and family and a partner who share in my life. The Tall (5ft9″), slim built, big blue eyed and long, looong haired, fun loving 28 yr old who helps others with what to wear.
But peel off the layers: the Lanvin glasses, the make up and the Maison Martin Margiela top and have a peek at whats really going on when I see myself in the mirror, every morning and evening. and its a totally different person to what you see in that first photo.
My first and biggest bug bearer is and has always been my facial profile. I have sticky out ears, a bump on my huge nose (for which ive had no end of bullying and comments to this very day) and squint teeth. But I also have good cheek bones and eyes and hair to cover those ears and make up to cover the acne….
Next, is the one thing that clients NEVER believe. Yes i am a size 10, yes i am tall and have toned, yoga arms but i DO have cellulite on my ass!!!! It has NOTHING to do with dress size and everything to do with fitness and skin care, something i am now working on since seeing these photos for the first time :p lol I admit that - im human!
Pull away that long hair & and you get what is probably the most noticeable & shocking image. My Dis-formed back, caused by scoliosis and the scar which runs from neck to butt after surgery in 2012 to prevent it worsening. This was a very difficult and emotionally challenging picture to pose for not just because of how it looks, but because im confronting the pain that i have suffered for many years when i look at it. Luckily though, I never really see it because well, its behind me and hidden from the world under my clothes :) No one would ever guess it was there.
Last but not least, I think my ribs stick out too much, made even more noticeable by my lack of a bust (A cup). This is the one thing i cant stand to see when i look in the mirror after a shower. But to most people, i imagine it.
I could add many other tiny flaws to this list such as varicose veins, gray hairs and scars from other surgeries but Im not doing this to self criticize and dwell on what i see as my flaws. Im doing it to prove that most of my flaws are only seen my me AND SO ARE YOURS! In order to show you, i had to get half naked and do close ups and take monochrome, high definition photos to highlight my body parts. But take a final look at the last image here. Would you have thought i had so many insecurities about my body? I doubt it.
So please, please listen when i say, NO One is perfect, Photoshop is FAKE and its your Whole self that people know and love, not those niggly things that get you down.
Take care and be happy :) xoxo LLM