Why wait to take photos of yourself?
Let me be real. As a woman, there have been several times I have just felt too frumpy, too wrinkly, too old, too ‘meh’ to have my photo taken or be in the photo. If I wasn’t feeling ‘good’ then I would opt out of the photo. And I can bet you my last dollar I am not the only one who has experienced this!
This is subject is especially relevant as I look back through my old photos and video I have and, quite frankly, I am mildly disappointed with myself. I have several moments captured both in stills and motion of my entire family and I am not there. Well in spirit I am there, but physically standing behind the lens pretty much EVERYTIME!
At the time, I had obviously felt out of sorts and just thought it won’t matter. But older me is like ‘what were you thinking woman???’ If I could go back, I would force myself to get in the picture. Even the ones where I managed to hide up the back, you can see my disdain at being in the photo, not because I didn’t want to, but merely because I felt fat, old exhausted or plain saggy baggy.
Being a woman, I feel we are mostly all like this (generalising here) however, the women in my circle feel the same. I know this because I asked them. We have discussed this at length. This is especially true the older and more mature you become. Unfortunately, it appears that society usually views mature women as unattractive and for lack of a better word we become invisible (but that’s another topic for later).
all dolled up for a wedding
If we wait until we are thin enough, have longer hair, are less wrinkly, less this, less that, then we will have wasted our entire life waiting. Stuck in a holding pattern and wasting our limited time on earth. Honestly, the perfect moment will never present itself. Because the perfect moment is now.
When I travelled the UK in September, I noticed several mums who took the photos but didn’t want to be in them. I made it my mission to offer to take photos for them with their iPhones or cameras. And every single time the offer was taken up but not without them first hesitating and saying ‘ummmm no it’s ok’ because they felt ‘meh’ or ‘too fat’. I encouraged them to do it from one mum to another. From one woman to another woman. They were appreciative of my gesture.
I didn’t do it for accolades; I did it because I have been in that exact position so many times.
My advice? Take the photo. We are in the digital age where you can delete afterwards if you completely hate the photo but take the dang photo. Do not wait until you reach your goal weight, or your perfect hair day, or your glammed up day. That moment would have passed, and you will never get that moment or experience back. Ever. And your kids don’t care what you look like, they just want you to be in it.
One of my most cherished photos! Not MY most favourite picture of myself but because what it represents - my babies and our bond.
Be in the photo. Muster up the courage to ask a stranger to capture the moment with you in it. Trust me, you will never regret it.
Rach x
