This photo shoot was the brainchild of two women from Glasgow, Emma Diamond & Donna McGowan who are promote a healthy and positive body image, and helping people feel comfortable in their own skin.
The Minute I heard about this project, I was So IN and was absolutely ravenous to take part. I am Passionate about Everything to do with this and it’s So very important to get images out there as often and as wide as possible of the exquisite variety of Gorgeous yummy bodies. Let’s Blast Any preconceived ideas that we are Anything other than Magnificent in ALL our Glorious differences and imperfections. I felt So deeply and profoundly honoured to have been chosen out of so very many that applied to take part.
It is time for a REVOLUTION. Time to come Back into our own bodies and love and accept all of that rather than searching externally for some idealised perfection based on an unattainable myth in a magazine that has been tweaked and distorted beyond recognition. Let’s let go of all that old unhelpful conditioning and beliefs that don’t serve our highest good.
When the day of the photo shoot itself arrived, it felt a little like a weird dream in some ways - a bunch of women who didn’t know each other all getting together and stripping off for the camera! Certainly not my average way to spend a Sunday!!!
As we sat getting our hair and make-up done, I listened to the stories of the women around me and I was so very fascinated and deeply inspired by everyone, such beauty, strength and courage. I am always fascinated that women I ‘think’ look like they have it all going on and I have wished I was like them sometimes, actually have their own ‘special’ stories in their heads about aspects of themselves that they might not like so much.
Then it was my turn in front of the camera! Yes I felt a Whole Lot of nerves!!!! Last time I did a photo shoot, I had an outfit that covered my belly, This is the part of me that I struggle to come to terms with the Most, this is the part I ‘think’ I accept and I Really don’t at All. This was the part of me that was on display in This shoot. Since the last shoot I have actually put ON about a stone in weight, which really shocked me! Behind the photographer I saw the mirror, I saw my belly, I saw my body. I felt raw, naked and very vulnerable being so very exposed. So Very much went through my energetic system and then again as I Very quickly reviewed the images on the back of the camera. I was asked what I thought when I saw the images and I don’t think I gave a Full answer, partly as I didn’t have my glasses and the images were small so I couldn’t Really see what they looked like.
As I stood there, in the first nanosecond, I felt that Old familiar vibration screamed forward and I experienced of a Whole LOT of Shame, Embarrassment, Insecurity, Guilt and a lot of self-Disgust. Nice huh! I wanted to run and hide. I felt short and the word that came into my head was Obese, which is such a stinging barb that hooks into me and triggers me a lot. I felt Completely Terrified of these images going public and other peoples harsh judgmental comments about them.
Then that Toxic dance of competitive comparison came in to snake it’s poison. I have pretty much Always noticed how I will look at other people and generally tend to put myself at the bottom of the heap – When I look at other people I can see How magnificent Each person is. There is STILL a dance of acceptance in my own skin, this Still goes ON. Actually, there is NO heap, there is NO competition, we all walk and stand Side by Side, there is NO scale of “well she’s got this and that so that means X…..” It was so cool that I got handed a sign to hold that said Stop comparing yourself to others – How Perfect a message for me!!!
It amused me that those STORIES and ILLUSIONS haven’t a CLUE who they are dealing with!!!!! All that Stuff came up in a split Second and I witnessed it and moved ON. It was such a Fast lesson in digging out the BIG guns of Self-Compassion and choosing what to focus on.
NONE of those negative words, vibrations and labels point to who I am. Just the same as when I was asked ‘What do you do?” Yup, I know they meant what’s my job but the label of what I do to pay the mortgage is just that, a label. I am Not defined by my job title and that was the reminder NOT to be defined by ANY label I attach to the expression of me that initially popped up. I Often feel Limitless, Boundless and Unboxable, so some of That is Beginning to touch on who I am a little clearer, even if by their very nature they are still labels, even if they are ‘nicer’ labels.
So, How did I manage to not Bolt for the door?
- I really concentrated on the feeling expression of my breath moving in and out of my body – if in doubt – ALWAYS always always come Back to the Breath.
- I paid attention to the physical sensations running through my alive, vibrant body.
- As soon as I saw the various Shadow words and expressions trying to assert themselves I felt the giggle rise and then I was Laughing at the paper thin veil of such familiar untruths that are constantly losing their power and effect over me.
- I felt the rooted experience of being deeply grounded.
- I felt the support from All my unseen help team of Angels and other cool beings of light that are around me a Lot.
- A couple of amazing people that I deeply trust, knew I was doing this and I felt their love and support and could sense them cheering me.
- I felt the Divine Feminine expression rise up my spine and oooze throughout me.
- I felt the vibrancy of being alive and taking a risk and daring to look foolish, daring to look stupid, daring to make a mistake, daring to fail and fall, grasping all this Glorious life and Going for it.
- I felt the importance of this project and the importance of other people Seeing me and therefore seeing and accepting themselves.
- I felt the importance in leading the way for other women and giving anyone who needs it the permission to feel ok about Their bodies.
- I felt the importance of healing all these old wounds and by me diving deep and clearing and doing my work, it helps not only my linage and ancestors but for All of us.
- I felt how important it was for me to stand there, No matter How terrifying to show others that to look like THIS is OK, it’s Who I am. I am gorgeous, You are gorgeous, we are All gorgeous!
I was actually really interested that we all were glammed up with hair and makeup, I would also have Loved to have had images of everyone hair off their face, bare skin, no filter… Drop All the masks…. RAW…… (The image below is me today, no makeup, nothing.) I have a Whole HEAP of wrinkles, especially around my eyes that I usually judge. I notice my pores, I have red sensitive skin and a little rosacea. I have dry skin and eczema. I have fluffy wild hair and eyebrows that often don’t like to be tamed. One of the things I Least like is that I have unwanted hairs on my chin, thanks to PCOS. I have just coloured my hair as I have a LOT of silver wisdom stripes in there that Sometimes I accept and sometimes I don’t.
However, THIS IS ME, All of it…. THIS is who I am and it is Glorious, Big, Voluptuous, Soft, Warm, Open, Vulnerable, Bodacious, Flawed, Feminine and Fabulous. There are a squillion variations and expressions of life out there and THIS is what embodied Divine Feminine feels and looks like through the expression of my soul in This particular life at This particular time.
I was asked if there would be a message to young girls and other women (and of course guys as well). There is Always More I could add, so What Would I say…..
- A Lot of people out there are not all that kind and nice sometimes and there’s a High likelihood that Someone somewhere will at some point say something unpleasant to you. This is NOT a reflection on you, it’s a reflection on Them.
- You do Not need to change ANYTHING.
- You do NOT need fixed.
- You are NOT Broken.
- You do not need to loose or put on weight or look a certain way or wear certain clothes.
- You don't Have to be a size zero and then again if you do happen to be that shape, that’s gorgeous as well.
- Ditch the magazines, and aspiring to be like ANYONE in the fictional pages. The images DON’T reflect real life, they are made up, photo shopped and they are pretend.
- You Don’t have to follow that understandable pull to follow the crowd and look like anyone else.
- Stop comparing yourself to anyone else.
- Celebrate who YOU are.
- You are incredibly beautiful Exactly as you are, Right Now.
- No Matter What you look like or feel like, Always remember that You Matter and you are valuable. EVEN if no one in your immediate vicinity is ever saying these things, there’s people like ME All over the place that SEE how Fabulous you are, we are all out there and will remind you any chance we get. Look for these people.
- Look for some really cool, inspiring role models rather than some of these celebrities who don’t appear to have very much talent apart from being a clothes horse and not actually looking very happy! My role models growing up were wide and varied and included people like Dr Jane Goodall, Dame Anita Roddick Margot Foynteyn, Audrey Hepburn, Maya Angelou, Aung Sang Suu Kyi, Emmeline Pankhurst….. Also look to amazing inspiring people out there right now like Malala Yousafzai.
- Get Into your body and really sense how you are, how you feel, what’s going on in there – That’s where all your answers lie, deep within, learn to trust your gut! I was never really in to sports but I Love dancing and yoga and walking in nature and these things help me sense in to my body and tap into the wisdom within.
- Don’t hide your light away, I have done that for Most of my life when in fact none of us are here to play small. I have kept quiet and not shared my expression – don’t suppress your voice.
- Do Whatever makes you HAPPY. My Most favourite thing is seeing the spark of light in someone’s eyes when they are talking or doing something they are passionate about and they are Glowing. That’s Beauty!
- Follow your dreams.
- Don’t let all the Millions of setbacks and knockdowns keep you down – Keep getting up – Every time, Every Single Time.
- Don’t wait until you are 41 to accept yourself as you are and fall in love with your own body. Do it Right NOW in in THIS moment and save yourself a Whole Lot of time and grief, not to mention a LOT of money on workshops, books, courses……!
I sense my younger self reading this and Wish there was an Elder to give positive body messages. I was bullied at Primary School as my body developed and my breasts grew. I Just wanted to be like all my other little friends. That was the start of the rejection of my body and now I am making peace with ALL of it – Finally!!!!
This project is fantastic and if you are interested in finding out any more, hop over to Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nofilterrevolution or follow on twitter at: https://twitter.com/nofilterproject