“Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.” ― Marilyn Monroe

I can’t take full credit for this post.

I read an instagram post by @thehassard (her web site is www.ashleyhassard.com), and I was honestly moved.  I thought it was very pertinent in this field where many youngsters are getting photographed, retouched and presented.  Adding the competition for visual attention by photographers, creatives and models to this only makes them blur the lines between reality  and fantasy further and further.

Pratik Naik (retoucher – www.solsticeretouch.com) said it best when he reminded us that the fashion and beauty industry is about fantasy.   Each image is a carefully crafted depiction what a photographer, art director and retoucher have in their heads, and there is a large component of artistic intent in the final product that captures the viewers attention and direct their minds and wallets down a specific path.   The creators of the image know this, but a lot of the audience doesn’t.  Combine that with the advertising industry that is based on making people dissatisfied about their current state of health, fitness, and appearance then you have a formula for insecurity and self doubt that feeds a burgeoning beauty and fashion industry.

This why the words that Ashley Hassard posted are so important and I could not say it better.

#Repost @thehassard
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Don’t let the Internet fool you, you’re more than your wrapper 🍬

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good squat, adore nice clothes, and appreciate a great glow, but I think we all need to take a step back to recognize that we’re so much more than what we look like – yes how you present yourself impacts how people see you, but don’t get it twisted – your appearance as a whole isn’t the whole you, it’s just a part of who you are. You, the real you, is a combination of a million different things – from the thoughts in your head to the books that you’ve read, the ambition you bleed to the purpose in your step. While social media might make it seem like looks are all that matter, there’s so much more to us, to our generation, than the shells we come in.

We have to see ourselves as more than our appearance.  Please admire the fantasy and the artistry, you can even be inspired by the images emblazoned on every billboard.  But remember that it is fantasy and you can offer the world a lot more.