If you follow me on twitter, you know that I am doing Project 365, where I take one photograph a day for a full year. I started on July 1st, & have been enjoying the project so far. (If you’d like to see pictures from previous days, click here.)
On Tuesday, though, I nearly forgot to do my picture for the day. So I grabbed my camera after I’d just taken a shower & quickly snapped this picture. When I uploaded it onto my computer, I almost deleted it. I felt the picture was too… raw; too vulnerable. But for some reason, this picture really struck me. I just couldn’t delete; I didn’t want to. Perhaps it’s because it’s so honest.
I read something recently on The Demoiselles about taking pictures of yourself makeup-less (amongst other things). It was such an inspirational article; not just because the women who were brave enough to post themselves facially nude were absolutely gorgeous, but because I think it sends out a great message. By taking that plunge to show yourself sans makeup, you’re stating that you love yourself just the way you are. & I do; for the most part, at least.
Taking pictures of myself without makeup on isn’t anything new. I’ve done it before with several of my outfit posts (here & here, for example). But there’s something different about this particular picture. Maybe it’s because I am looking straight into the camera. Maybe it’s because my imperfections are so close up & obvious. Maybe it’s because there are no shadows on my face.
& while I could waste precious moments of my life picking apart my flaws — the blemishes, the peach fuzz above my lip, the fine lines underneath my eyes — I want to focus on what makes me happy about the way I look. I owe it to myself; after all, this is the only body I have. I may as well be nice to it.
So what is it I like about this picture? I like that my eyes are shining & you can see their true brown color. I like the color of my skin. I like the tiny little freckles on my cheeks. I like my nose-ring. I like the definition of my chin. I like my high cheekbones. & I like my full lips.
The more I look at this picture, the more I like it. Because that is who I am; that is the truest me there is.
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I want to encourage you to take a picture of yourself facially nude. You don’t necessarily have to post it online for all the world to see like The Demoiselles, Eyeliah, & I did. Take it for yourself. & don’t wince at what you see; celebrate & appreciate your unique beauty, sans makeup. If you need an extra push, this article should be of some inspiration for you.