Women: Don’t Weight
Nothing like a pandemic to squash self-confidence.
With all the stress, routine disruption, Netflix binges, house-bound snacking, for some of us, it’s been a very challenging time to embrace our appearance. Women, in particular, have worn multiple hats this year and there hasn’t been a lot of room left for self care.
What I want to say in this blog post (with a bullhorn, if I could) is this: It doesn’t matter.
You’re still your children’s mother. You’re still a 35...45... (fill in the blank) year-old woman with an identity owning a stage in her life. Pictures are windows into our history. We will remember the Year of the Pandemic and wonder how we weathered it. Even if it did include couch-sitting, exercise routine disruption, or comfort foods, it will be our history to look back on and own.
So why do I tell women not to “weight” when documenting their existence in portraits? Because your presence in images is vital to your family’s story....to its history. Your children will want to show their kids who grandma was when they were growing up, whether grandma was working on those last 10 pounds is completely irrelevant. Believe me, that’s not what they’ll be noticing.
As a woman who struggles with the aging thing a bit (Why are my knees falling?!), I get it. But I’ll tell you what—I’ll be really glad I did a birthday portrait session at 50 when I’m older. At 70, when looking at these images, it won’t be the falling knees that stand out.
Let’s be clear: when we work with families, we start with the mom. It’s her closet we go through first. It’s her look we revolve the family around. She’s the glue in this operation, and we make darn sure she feels beautiful in every image we capture.
Don’t forget, it’s also good for your kids to see you embrace who you are—fully. Having a portrait done is a great way to do that. Our daughters, in particular, are watching and listening closely. “I don’t want to be photographed” is heard as “I don’t feel the way I look right now is worthy of being photographed”. It’s a slippery slope.
We want you to come enjoy the experience that is a Lara Blair portrait. We invite you to join in the process that is incredibly fun...where we listen to your every need and provide unparalleled client care. It should be a stellar memory for everyone and a joy-bringer when your children’s children find these images in your family’s archives.
Today’s portraits are tomorrow’s heirlooms.
