is a photographer. We work at university and college
graduations, assisting the photographers. The photos
immediately come onto our computer screens and the graduates
get to pick their favourite one. Its not a hard job to do but
over the last few weeks of doing more than usual I have
noticed something very interesting but pretty sad.
We see maybe 50 people each during the day, most of them
girls. I am the person who first shows them their photos
and the reactions from them are just extraordinary. I
would say that over 2 thirds of them hate the way they look.
The most common reaction is "I look fat". Now some of them
are overweight but I dont know these people and they are happy
to just put themselves down in front of me. It gets so much
worse though, and we end up spending the whole day reassuring
these girls that they are lovely and look great.
I think the thing that made me really think about it was the
nurses graduation. It was pretty much all females I saw and
girl after girl just coming up hating themselves. I felt so
shocked and sad by the end of the day. Why is it that in our
country people feel that its not okay to like the way they
look? Or is it because people have such terrible diets and
lifestyles that they do look pretty bad? And the only way to
make themselves feel better about being overweight is by putting
on lots of fake tan, dying their hair and pretty much trying to
look as least like themselves as possible?
I also think its a culture and class thing. There will be
certain graduations we do where we see no self deprecating
whatsoever. Its sparks lots of questions in my mind. If you
are around people who put themselves down all the time then
of course your going to start doing it too, if your Mum
has done it then your going to do it too but then how will
it ever stop?
I just wish everyone would realise that its okay to think you
look good. Of course there are things everyone would like to
change about themselves, little flaws that annoy them but that's
normal and okay. You just need to be comfortable and at ease
with the way you look and not hate yourself. I still look at
certain women in magazines and imagine looking that way, but
if I looked that way I wouldn't be me and have lived my life
so I guess I am glad I'm pale and ginger.
Here are some photos of what I think are the most
beautiful women in the world.....
