Hey Beautiful!

“If you can’t see anything beautiful about yourself, get a better mirror.”

----Kendall Jenner

OK, I never imagined this space would have a quote from a tween model, but Kardashian antics aside, she has a point. Sure, it’s easy for someone who makes a gajillion dollars a minute getting her picture taken to say, “Oh everyone is gorgeous” but still if beauty is in the eye of the beholder, why are we so critical of ourselves when we look in the mirror, or at pictures of ourselves?

Recently, a friend of mine, who is an artist, asked me (and several other friends) to be in some pictures wearing her art. Yes, that’s right, wearable art. Typically, for me, wearable art is that smudge of color on every white shirt I own, usually from dropping a pen or spilling coffee. Michelle Jones Brown, a local artist and founder of Shipyard Art, has created a line of clothing with images from her work. She wanted to showcase all kinds of women, for a post about her leggings. The ones she chose for me to wear are called Blue Ivy, and they are amazing. Literally, waves of color, blues, greens, and yellows are all over the fabric. The other women had bright colors too, because, if you’re wearing a work of art, it should stand out, right?

Being in front of a camera is never comfortable for me. For one thing, I am no Kendall Jenner. In many ways, that is a good thing, but still, no matter how hard I try, I can’t smile without looking stoned or in pain. I have a big Irish potato face; it’s genetic somehow that I’m so pale, I almost glow in the dark. While I love my red hair and green eyes, Michelle can’t really shoot me from the nose up if she wants to show off the leggings. I was hoping maybe she had one of those magic cameras that could make me look something other than my real shape and size. Isn’t there an app for that on the iPhone? Well, whatever, photoshoot day arrived, and there we all were, in her backyard, looking fabulous.

In addition to being an artist, Michelle knows how to make someone comfortable. It’s called “wine and snacks,” and it was a great help. I hadn’t met any of the other models, but when five women of varying ages and sizes are all about to go in front of a camera, you bond pretty fast. Sure, some women can be catty or petty, but not these ladies. That’s the thing about really great women. They don’t tear each other down; they help each other up. Each of them was also an artist or engaged in other creative work, much of it focused on wellness and community — no divas in this bunch.

The pictures have since been selected and made into a promotional video for the clothes. As always, while I loved how everyone else looked, I still winced at my photos. Technically, they were superb, but we are all our own worst critics.  Guess what? There is no magic camera and no app that’s going to make me look like the cover of Vogue. It’s just not going to happen, and that’s OK with me. Sure, it would be nice if my smile didn’t sometimes look like I was chewing on gravel, but hey, what you see is what you get, at least in photos of me, so there you go. Big loud Irish chick, face to match. Does that make me “beautiful?” Not even; it makes me real.

There are constant reminders all around us of the arbitrary and always changing standards of beauty. Is it being six feet tall, 110 pounds, and strutting down a runway in the latest designer fashions? Perhaps, for some. However, it takes a real artist to not only make beautiful work but turn that work into wearable beauty. It doesn’t matter how old you are or what size you are; what matters is that you put something out into the world that is gorgeous and vibrant and makes people happy. It can be a painting, a sculpture, a book, a child, or anything else. Perhaps Kendall is right; there is always something beautiful to see, we just have to look harder or through another lens. Thanks, Michelle, and the rest of you legging ladies for a fun shoot on a bright sunny day. Oh, and if you want some local beauty? Check out Shipyardart.com and treat yo’self!!