I was writing a comment on a FB post about how that person reacts to someone wanting to take their photo, and I thought it would be easier to write it out here and then I could just share the link. Because we all need to hear this, and internalize it.
I used to take all the photos in our family, because I owned the cameras but also because I hated how I looked. Then I realized that if something were to happen to me, my [then] toddler son wouldn’t have photos of me.
I also realized that however I look in photos is how I look to other people when they look at me. Avoiding photos doesn’t make me thinner or prettier than I actually am.
Lastly, nobody is staring at my photo longer than I am. They give it a second, decide if they are going to like it or not, and keep scrolling. You know, like I do with everyone else’s photos. I am not looking at your [fill in trouble area] I am looking at your smile and being thankful I got to “see” my friend today.
