Condividi
I am primarily a singer-songwriter but began modeling in 2018. I quickly realized that I didn't exactly "fit in" to what many people considered the mainstream model look and lifestyle. Yes, I was pretty, and despite usually being one of the oldest models in the room, I was small and looked young, but when I joined an agency, there were things I was expected and required to change in order to be more "marketable". For one, I was asked to shave. My underarms, my legs, and my faint but visible mustache were not considered acceptable for the desired look. While shaving or waxing is a tedious but doable change, there was also something about my look that I couldn't change-- my self-harm scars and the tattoo over them on on my left forearm. Reluctantly, I agreed to do what was necessary to be more "marketable", convincing myself "I can't change modeling; I just have to adjust enough to be successful in the field." However, even though I shaved and did my best to conceal my scars, sometimes allowing photographers to edit them out, I never became very successful in modeling. I learned so much and had many wonderful experiences in modeling, but still the word "marketable" rattled around in my brain and echoed the question: Why is there no market for people like ME? Why is there no market for people with a story, with a testimony, with a message? I remember hearing the song "Scars To Your Beautiful", and there was a line that said "You don't have to change a thing; the world could change its heart", and I decided that I no longer wanted to try to fit into a mold that was never meant for me, that I could break this old mold and be one of the people to stand outside of it.
"A New Kind of Beautiful" is exactly what the modeling world needs. Since the rise of media in the form of magazines, television, and social media, there has also come a rise in social programming of what is and is not an acceptable way to be and look. It places this unrealistic and mostly unattainable aesthetic on a pedestal that many strive to achieve, seldom do, and often are left feeling inadequate. In presenting "A New Kind of Beautiful", Fashion Hero presents an opportunity for people who don't fit into these beauty standards with the opportunity to see themselves reflected in a way that is beautiful and powerful, just the way they are.
My goal in modeling is to show people that there is no beauty standard, that the one placed before us is an illusion, and that we are all beautiful. I want to challenge the belief that hairlessness is a requirement for beauty and femininity. I also want to be a voice and beacon for those who have struggled with mental illness, self-worth issues, gender and sexuality identity issues, and anyone else who has struggled because of the pressure to fit in with societal norms that have been pushed through media for ages. You are beautiful. You are worthy. "You don't have to change a thing; the world could change its heart."