I threw caution to the wind in a recent post by including full body photos of myself. I took enough pictures so that I would be able to choose the “best” ones, which was helpful because some of them were pretty bad. The shots I tried to take outdoors in the glaring sun literally did not show me in the best light. My eyes were all squinty and the wind plastered my loose top against my tummy so that I looked pregnant. At 67 that might be good if I wanted to be on Ripley’s “Believe It or Not,” but it wasn’t a good look for my blog. I don’t have a handle on what I really look like. I tend to think I look thinner than I really am. When I see myself in photos, sometimes it’s kind of shocking. I do know, however, that it’s not a good idea to judge myself, or other people, based on a photo. I remember my sister and I had a friend, when we were in elementary school, who always looked fabulous in the group class photos that were taken every year. She looked good in person, but in the photos she looked amazing. There was something about her hair that translated into perfection in the camera, all shiny with no hair out of place, even though it was just normal in person. We were so curious about this phenomenon that we plotted to test it out, when she came over to play, by taking a photo of the three of us. Sure enough, when the photo was developed (remember the days when you had to actually wait to see your photos?) my sister and I looked like we had been outdoors playing, but she looked like she had just spent hours at the beauty salon getting her hair done. I wanted to be like her. I still want to be like her. My Mom avoided photos. She would scoot away if a camera appeared and get angry if anyone tried to take a picture of her. As a result I don’t have a lot of photos of her especially from the years we were growing up. When I was older and had my own camera I would sneak a shot in without letting her know. I took one of my favorite pictures of my parents this way while they were looking for agates to add to their rock collection. I never showed it to her. She would have been really mad at me for taking it but I’m so glad that I did. I don’t want to be afraid to have my picture taken or wish there was some magic way to make myself look “better” than I really am. I’m glad I was brave enough to take full body photos of myself for my blog. I actually had fun doing it, which I hope shows as much or more than the size of my thighs.
1 Comment
Linda
4/8/2015 01:53:29 pm
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Leslie Masona woman in search of her post-retirement future Guess what! By subscribing, you get notices about the latest Little Old Lady with Cats posts sent to your mailbox!
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