Let me set the scene, it was 4pm we are in Paris. We have just finished photographing at the Louvre, and we had one more stop at the Eiffel Tower to finish our all day photoshoot around this amazing city.
We where taking a break and sitting at a cafe. It was a dramatic place with dark velvet curtains, black table tops, and red velvet chairs. As we where sipping our cappuccinos, I start to notice around us all the young beautiful women sitting in the cafe with these older distinguished men. These women stood out, they where young, tall, really really thin and what I call fashion unusual - so fashion forward I can not tell what they are wearing.
There where several pairs like this all over the cafe, looking like they are in an interview, because they where all sitting across from one another. So of course I started watching one in particular. A young beautiful woman sat down and handed the older man an iPad which he started flipping though photos of her on. I could see some and they were professional modeling pictures of her.
It dawned on me it's fashion week here in Paris, and these were models showing their portfolios! I assume to get hired.
Then I looked back at our table, with our women of all shapes and sizes, ages and weights. And we had just created an amazing "portfolio" of photographs of them all over town.
Each woman at my table was so beautiful, so memorizing. I had just capture them, so I knew how amazing they could model. Wowing me on front of the camera. They where as beautiful as any professional models in the cafe.
Not only had they amazed me with their spirit and sexiness, they looked fucking hot! Every outfit had been hand picked and styled by Nathalie Chapron. And what she does is breathtaking to whiteness. I can't even describe it, but when you see a woman so in her essence and she feels good in what she is wearing... you can't take your eyes off her. That is what Nathalie does!
The images I had just taken could/should line the pages of the magazine!!!
I was so grateful to be at our table. With such beauty. Such femininity. Such fashion.
And then I had a moment of pause. I took a breath in as I thought about what was happening right in that moment.
I do like fashion, I actually like even fashion magazines, I love the creativity of the photography, the wild expression of what ever.
AND I know the damage it has played on setting the standard to what Beauty is. And how this standard has crippled many of us.
Because that standard is unreachable, we age, we gain weight, we have babies, and we feel the deep deep pain of not being "beautiful" any more. Its a pain I can not describe to a man (I tried yesterday) but we as woman feel it deeply.
And as I sat there, I felt the power of the work Nathalie Chapron and are doing.
Because at our table we ARE change the fucking standard!!
We ARE healing the wounds created by the standard of beauty. And we are creating our own standard.
We ARE reclaiming our own beauty. In this shape, this age, this weight.
This is why I do what I do. Not to change the fasion industry. But to heal the wounds caused by it.
For every woman, for one at least one moment, to see and feel, to reclaim their undeniable beauty.
Thank you to my epic epic partner and friend Nathalie for the work that you do in the world, for using adornment (colors/clothing/shopping) to reclaim the feminine. It's so import. We need you. Thank you for your never end lengths you go for each woman that comes across your path. I am so grateful for the work we to together!
