Athletes+Sports
Teens+Tweens
Seniors
LPJ Photography Senior Reps who participated in Project Beauty 2018: ” She was beautiful, but not like those girls in magazines. She was beautiful for the way she thought. She was beautiful for the sparkle in her eyes when she talked about something she loved. She was beautiful, for her ability to make other people smile, even if she was sad. No, she wasn’t beautiful for something as temporary as her looks. She was beautiful, deep down to her soul.” F. Scott Fitzgerald
Defining Beauty:
Every day, women are bombarded with the message from media that beauty is defined by perfection.
That is a lie.
But part of me feels that, as a photographer, I feed into that a bit, because I encourage my girls to pamper themselves by having their hair and make-up professionally done, and I retouch my images to remove “imperfections,” like pimples or dark under eye circles.
I mean the experience to be a fun departure from the stresses of every-day life. My personal philosophy is that our worth and value comes from something much deeper than our outer shell.
Our worth and beauty isn’t contingent on perfection; our journey, and even our “flaws” make us unique, strong, beautiful.
When I came across “Project Beauty,” it was like seeing my mantra given life.
Cailyn, Roanoke Rapids High School, Class of 2020: “Finding my beauty has meant learning to let go of trying to be perfect, and just enjoying doing things because they make me happy. I used to worry so much about what others were thinking about me, that it made me not be able to be happy with myself. I am learning to understand that I am not perfect, no one is, and that is ok.”
Raw, Real, Vulnerable, Beauty:
I asked a group of teens to push themselves past what was comfortable, and allow me to photograph them with simple hair and zero make up. Nothing. Only moisturizer and lip balm were allowed.
On my end, I would do no photo editing outside of transforming the images into black and white.
Then, in order to receive their photos, my teens agreed to two things:
1. Write a few sentences describing what true beauty means to them. I asked them to be raw, and real. I asked them, if they were willing, to share their insecurities, to share their struggles, and to convey a message of hope. I told them that if they have a struggle, chances are there are others that do as well, and when others hear their story, they may feel heard and understood.
2. Any time they share their photographs from this shoot, they will caption it, either with what they wrote for me, or with another quote that describes TRUE beauty.
Karlie, Halifax Academy, Class of 2024: “Helen Keller once said ‘The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.’ The ability to see beauty in others comes from within. A persons soul will radiate this beauty and outshine any physical flaw. This is the beauty that all should want the most. Embrace your inner self and let kindness touch others.”
I wish I could claim the idea as my own, but I can’t. Senior photographers Thomas Nguyen and Sean Brown introduced the concept, with the simple request that other photographers pay it forward.
I am so grateful to them for it, and thankful to the young women who participated in my shoot.
Paige, Roanoke Rapids High School, Class of 2020: “To me, true beauty is what you wake up like in the morning, or what you look like when you go to bed at night. The way you look as God made you. True beauty is also what can be found inside. The way you are is true beauty. True beauty is not 2 hours worth of painting your face in a mirror or getting all fancied up. True beauty is simply the way God made you.”
My prayer is that the movement blesses everyone who comes into contact with the message, and that those who need to see it, will.
Love and Blessings,
A special shout out to Joy Jones of Joy J’s Shoppe (935 Roanoke Avenue, Roanoke Rapids, NC) for opening the doors to her boutique to let us shoot in her cool, chic space.
Bailey, Bunn High School, Class of 2018: “Beauty to me is what is on the inside. Everybody always talks about beautiful being as in the clothes you wear, how much makeup you put on, the color of your hair. But that’s not beauty to me. Having a pretty mind, a good heart and a sweet soul is beautiful. Internal beauty is the best beauty.”
Ella, Roanoke Rapids High School Class of 2020: “True beauty lies behind the makeup. Last year I overcame the unthinkable hardship of brain surgery because I am so passionate about a sport that I love. I struggled to come back healthy and normal. Many people, even adults, believed that I was using my surgery as an excuse, but just because we can’t physically see a struggle, does not mean that it isn’t there. Everybody is fighting their own battles. There is always beauty in the fight and in the struggle. Beauty is strength and perseverance. It is never giving up on reaching a goal, even when we want to give up. Showing strength through a hard time like I went through is what beauty is to me. That is what defines me. Not just the makeup and the filters. Real beauty.”
Cassidy, Roanoke Rapids High School Class of 2020: “When I think of true beauty, I think of something very different from what is considered “normal”. I don’t think about hair, makeup, and clothes. I don’t think about social status, what people have, and how many friends they have acquired. I think about what life has given them and how they have dealt with their struggles. I ask myself, do they have a beautiful heart and mind? Does their character stand above all the superficial things life has to offer? I look at how people treat others and how they put others before their own needs. Kindness is true beauty.”
Bridgette, Roanoke Rapids High School, Class of 2018: “I grew up the runt of the litter and have both kyphosis and a unique form of scoliosis. I was constantly bullied, and sometimes am still. But that experience has made me a stronger person. No matter how much people tried to hurt me with their actions or unkind words, I had to learn to let it go and accept myself. So I try to tell myself this: ‘You are strong. You are beautiful. There is no one who can break you down, no matter how hard they try. You are an amazing person. You are capable of anything that you set your mind to. No matter how much you think others are so much better than you, you should always remember, there is only one you. And no one else can replace that you. You are unique and you are special to someone. You are loved.’ ”
Sarah, Garner Magnet High School, Class of 2018: “Ever since I came to Garner High School in 2015, I never really felt at home. I didn’t know anyone and I felt as if I couldn’t be myself around others. It was really different going from a place where I felt totally comfortable, to somewhere that was really not welcoming. I made friends, but none that I would ever hangout with out of school. Back then I was really focused on my appearance and what other people thought about me so I never truly felt beautiful. Usually, being “beautiful” is thought of as your outward appearance and whether or not you have features that everyone envies. Then there was one moment this year that I really felt beautiful. I was doing my devotion for that day and I read a bible verse that made me appreciate myself. The bible verse is Psalm 139:14, “ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful I know that full well”. After reading this bible verse I know for a fact that I am beautiful because I was created by God himself and no one will ever tell me differently. Living a life with God has truly been the greatest life I’ve ever had. As I study scripture and learn a new lesson everyday, I become more confident in myself and in life. I feel truly beautiful standing with God and sharing his word with others.”
“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” Proverbs 31:25:
Alyssa, North Carolina School of Science and Math, Class of 2018: “I think that as young girls, we constantly struggle with what defines our beauty. My heart’s cry to girls everywhere is that worldly things do not define your beauty, for they are all temporary. In Genesis, God, our creator declares that we were made in “his image” and that alone defines our perfection and beauty. The Bible is full of verses that serve as love letters in which God expresses in many different ways how beautiful, valuable, and priceless we are. As a girl who once struggled with seeing herself as beautiful, I know that the confidence that I have now comes from knowing that I am made to reflect God’s beauty. When I placed my definition of beauty in something temporarily satisfying, I eventually came up feeling like I was never good enough. When I learned to place my definition of beauty in what God says that I am, I never once come up feeling insufficient, because his words are eternal. My favorite verse is Numbers 23:19, it says God is not a man, he does not lie, he does not change his mind, and he does not abandon us. The world is full of imperfections, so it will never define Real beauty. But God is perfect, so when he says we are made in his image of perfection, he means it and his words are truth. We long to be wanted and loved, the God that created the universe has your name written on the palm of his hands. You are known and wanted. I want every girl to know that they truly are beautiful princesses because they are daughters of a King.”
Samantha, Roanoke Rapids High School, Class of 2018: “I haven’t always been confident with who I am. I use to be on ADHD medicine that made look anorexic, even though I wasn’t. Kids at school would bully me about how skinny and tall I was. Even in elementary school they would make up stories about how I would starve myself. So, in middle school I started trying to change my looks to fit in with what the cool, popular girls were doing. I straightened my curly hair to the point it was damaged and broken. I changed my makeup because I thought it would make guys choose me… but none of that even mattered to my friends and the guys I liked. What I have learned, what I am still learning, is that true beauty does not come from our beauty products or the clothes we wear. It comes from our kindness, our laughter and our ability to bring out joy from everyone you meet. That is what true beauty means to me.”
Taniyah, Roanoke Rapids High School, Class of 2020: “Today’s world says that to be beautiful, you have to wear the perfect makeup, have the newest shoes and clothes. You have the prettiest colors on your nails, and the perfect hairstyle. But to me, you only need the natural you. God made you the exact way he wanted you. And every single thing he has made is beautiful without adding anything extra to it. Beauty is not defined by the added on things like makeup but it is defined on how you show the natural you. True beauty is just showing the true you.”
Logan, Roanoke Rapids High School, Class of 2022: “Just because you don’t look like somebody who you think is attractive doesn’t mean you aren’t attractive. Flowers are pretty, but so are sunsets and they look nothing alike. We are all different and that is what makes us unique.”
“You are beautiful. For you are fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139: 14
Abbey, Roanoke Rapids High School, Class of 2018: True beauty is a reflection of the soul; it is being loving, caring and true to yourself. True beauty is us being made in the image of God and knowing that every single day.”
Blair, Roanoke Rapids High School, Class of 2019: “Audrey Hepburn once said, ‘For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with knowledge that you are never alone.’ To me, beauty is far more than just appearance. It is not the brand of clothes you wear, how much makeup you apply, or your overall appearance. It’s about having a strong mind, kind heart, a generous soul, and being yourself. In today’s society, people tend to judge one another on their appearance rather than the contents of their character. Who a person is on the inside counts way more than what they look like. Every individual has their certain flaws and imperfections. Although, we have imperfections, every person is unique and beautiful. If all people were to be kind, look for the good in others, laugh a little, and be themselves, they would then see what true beauty is and be able to make the world a beautiful place.”
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These girls amaze me and offer wisdom, truth and yes,”true beauty!
I loved reading each story and I am inspired by each of these beautiful young women. I know some of these ladies and love them all the more now!
Young ladies, Thank you for sharing your thoughts, feelings and true self. You will touch and inspire many just as you have with me! As a young girl, teenager and even now, I have shared some of your same feelings!
Thank you again for sharing yourselves and you all should be very proud to be a part of such a beautiful message!
Thank you! I don’t think that self-doubt disappears with the teenage years… but it sure was tough to navigate it then. Like you, I am inspired by their words! Working with them was my complete pleasure!
Beautiful, Lymarie. Your girls have hit the nail on the head and they will go far.
Thank you! Aren’t they just inspiring? I am so proud of them!
Lymarie, this was amazing, inspiring and truly beautiful! I wish that everyone, not just teenagers, but everyone could experience true beauty! The beauty that comes from within because it must begin in the heart and flow out to truly become beautiful! This session hopefully will be a lifelong remembrance of how beautiful these young ladies truly are. Not because of the “final draft” they see on canvas but because you helped them see their beauty that flows from within. AND THAT, they now have documented under each photo as a constant reminder!
Thank you! I am so proud of each of them for putting themselves out there in such a raw and real way!