#FaceMyBeauty Part II

Images by: Debbie Markham

Yesterday I introduced you to the amazing organization Changing the Face of Beauty and the important work they are doing for people with disabilities in advertising. Read it HERE

Today I wanted to explore what the campaign means to me as a WOMAN.

The #FaceMyBeauty Campaign is amazing, bringing attention to the much needed representation and acceptance of people of all abilities in advertising.

When Katie first launched her video it made me think about all the resistance women have to face themselves without judgment, as is in this particular moment. It is difficult to look at yourself with acceptance and resist the urge to dream about yourself 10 pounds from now, your next social media filter you can use or more money from now and how much  better you will "look and feel". We all know it is bullshit yet it is still hard to face yourself, perceived flaws and all and accept who you are and what you look like this moment.

I took images with my son Blake who has Down Syndrome in an effort to start a discussion about this campaign and realized that it isn't just about people who have perceived disabilities.

I can tell you that I've been there, done that, bought the t-shirt and am literally wearing it in these photos. My battles with self esteem and body image have been hard won and sometimes is still a work in progress. I have survived abusive relationships, countless heart breaking names, labels, betrayals and experiences and you can too! The road to becoming better instead of bitter begins with facing all of the negative and CHOOSING to move forward in a positive manner. I did it by converting my pain into power.

Necklace: Lydell NYC / Shoes SJP Collection "Carrie" / T-shirt: CTFOB

I decided to FACE MY OWN BEAUTY and remove all I did to "enhance" or "conceal" myself and removed my makeup. Below is one of the videos I shared on my instagram story.

I removed my makeup and chose to face my beauty in a natural way. 

What I am:

I am 37

I am a mother of 2 (plus 2 step-kids)

I am an "Ability Parent" to a son with Special Needs

I am Tried

I am curvy

I am happy

I am authentic

I am confident

I am Facing my beauty

What I am not:

I am not a sample size

I am not bag, dark circle or line free

I am not ashamed

I am not in my 20's

I am not wanting to be younger

I am not afraid to Face My Beauty.

Are you?

Share your  makeup/makeup free photos with me on social media tag me @evolutionvtg (twitter/Instagram) or Facebook

Love, Lisa

XO

This Is MY Body

Due to the nature of our society, body image issues effect ALL of our lives. No matter what colour, race, gender or age.  We do everything we can to mask our perceived flaws, change our original appearance and avoid ageing. I wonder what the effects would be if we put half of this effort into acceptance. Accepting who we are and what we look like today. We can change our bodies through proper diet and exercise if we want to but we can also just be comfortable in our own skin and enjoy our lives.

In my quest to evolve and learn I came across a slowly growing online movement called "This is my body project". It literally moved me. The bravery of the people who post to this site and facebook page is truly inspirational (to say the least). To see people of all shapes and sizes, genders and ages bear all in a natural unairbrushed state (in photograph and in print) is amazing to me and their first step to acceptance and healing. Take a few moments to look at the images and stories. We are all VERY quick to judge others when really we should celebrate each others differences and work on ourselves.

This project was started by a very wise then 17 year old who had been bullied and hurt by people telling her she was ugly, fat and not good enough.  She explains her position in this video clip  

 I had a chance to ask her a few questions about her project and mission of acceptance recently 

 LISA: What inspired you to start this "project"? 

 KAILEI: The project kind of started accidentally.. I've been a model since I was around 15 years old and at the age of 17 I started to receive anonymous hate mail messages on a website called formspring. People whose identities I didn't know were messaging me calling me fat and too ugly to model, telling me I needed to start a diet, saying that the body I was showing off wasn't my own and was photoshopped to look the way it does in photographs. I'm not the type of person to retaliate to cyber bullies... so I decided to use my artwork to do the talking for me. That's when I took the first ever This is My Body photo. I posted it to show off the way my stomach really looked to all of the bullies who told me I was fake or wasn't good enough. What could they possibly say about me not being good enough if I was chubby, showed off my tummy and was still able to model? After that the photo got a major response, people started telling me they wanted to take photos similar to mine and the entire project jump started from there! 

 LISA: What do you think is the biggest negative influence on women's and/or men's body image? 

 KAILEI: The mass media holds a huge role in how we as a society view ourselves. We're shown approximately 3,000 advertisements a day. Do any of those advertisements feature an average sized man/woman? They all show us false images of what we're supposed to look like, men with huge muscles and bulgy bodyscapes and women sizes 0 and under. After all of that constant exposure it starts to rub off on us. We live in a world where thin is in and that's the only acceptable body type. 

 LISA: What do you hope to accomplish? 

 KAILEI: Well as I stated before thin is the only acceptable body type in our society. I'm hoping to change that perception. I want society to start believing that all healthy body types are beautiful, to the thinner side or the heavier side. I want communities to begin to come together, we don't see enough people using the Internet as a tool to appreciate each other and to make friends. Now it's more about shielding ourselves behind a screen and being what we want to be instead of being who we really are and being happy with that.  

LISA: How can my readers participate? 

KAILEI: The directions on how to submit and what we're looking for are posted on our facebook page

here And the form to submit can be sent via e-mail or through our website HERE

Of course I was compelled to participate as I accept myself and love who I am. I am perfectly imperfect, full of flaws, many of which I have earned. I have 2 beautiful babies and the stretch marks I wear has a badge of honor. My laugh lines came from amazing experiences and my frown lines too. 

Of course no one has a perfect self image but we can all get on the road to acceptance and action if there are things we would like to change to get closer to our 'authentic self'.  As we all heal we all must take accountability for how we look AND feel. For me, I am currently transitioning my diet and lifestyle.  I have been vegetarian for 5 years but now am transitioning to a plant strong diet.  Plant strong is a diet of natural, whole foods. NO animal products or processed "food". I have a very limited alcohol consumption. No smoking or ANY drugs (prescription or otherwise) and I exercise 3-5 times a week. I love to LaBlast (DANCE) and Get outside to walk the beach or hike with my family.  I am doing this for my health and longevity. The welcomed side effect is weight loss and fitness. I'm doing this for myself and my family not for society. I am on the ME program.

This is an amazing affirmation to print out and put on every mirror in your home, carry with you or say to yourself at least once a day when you need too: "I ACCEPT MYSELF UNCONDITIONALLY RIGHT NOW" (Louise Hay)

Do you want to get a step toward acceptance? Be BOLD: Share your image and story with the "It's My Body Project" today!

My brand EVOLUTION VINTAGE strives to include everyone regardless of shape, size, age or budget in a Fashion Revolution. To Re-Style Fashion's past current, inspiring women to think outside the confines of trend and the herd mentality and Dress in what they LIKE and are naturally drawn too. Don't limit yourself to what is available in chain stores but listen to your inner style voice and explore the UNIQUE.  LIKE us on Facebook