Here is what I learned during New York Fashion Week.
Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. Confidence is beautiful, courage is beautiful and living your authentic, true self can be very beautiful.
I had the honor of being a guest of my friend Super Model Emme, backstage at the Chromat Fashion Show, yesterday in the village. I have never really been about fashion, the truth is my "fashion vibe" is old hippie, so this was a unique experience for me. As with any production, the hair stylists, makeup artists, handers, media, crew, staff, security and models were all busy pulling together a show, as I gawked from the wings. It was an awesome experience that during a small down time, I had the opportunity to speak to a few models. I was in awe, some thin, some curvy, a few short and one very tall but ALL uniquely beautiful.
It blew my mind and my mind's version of what a fashion model was as I watched them prepare. Not one model, was the same size as another. Not one was the same height, weight, exact color or age, not one. As I watched, I commented to a young girl beside me about how brave these models were. I said, I could never step out in front of a crowd, wearing what they were asked to wear and walk the walk. She said she loved it and wanted to do it one day herself. I told her, I won't have the guts and I am One Tough Muther. I wondered if these models had always been so confident, courageous and free to live their authentic self or not.
While standing there, I met a stunningly beautiful woman who I knew immediately had training in the industry. I introduced myself and without surprise found out she was indeed a fashion pioneer. This beautiful women had played on both sides of the field in this industry, for many years. A beautiful former model, who now represents models, she was as kind, as she was beautiful. I told her I'd hear stories about models being too thin, too underdeveloped, too overdeveloped, too short, too tall, too big, too curvy, too white, too black and wait for it....too BEAUTIFUL. Of course some of what I'd heard was confirmed, no surprise we've heard all the stories. I asked her if she thought the definition of beautiful was fed by the media, the marketing and advertising companies, the fashion industry and frankly ME, who had in my career, written sexist radio and TV commercials for ad campaigns, she just smiled. Grace is most certainly beautiful I can attest to that, and shame is not.
So what did I learn....
that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. That beauty is about living your true authentic self and is not about living a truth served up to you by an industry. That if everyone was brave enough to live a life of acceptance and kindness, and smile with grace maybe the world would be a gentler place.
That I must try harder to live my life without passing judgement on others, for they way they look. I will also be kinder to myself and not judge myself so harshly. The truth is we are all just flesh and bones, and what's on the outside, does not define the genuine beauty on the inside.
Congratulations to all the models, stylists, hair stylists, makeup artists and workers that pulled together the Chromat show yesterday. Oh and to the skillful designer, Becca McCharen I say, "right on" Diversity is Beautiful.
Remember, a flower does not compete with the flower that blooms next to it, it just blooms????