Diane Walker
Brains, Floss, Sexy
As a contemplative photographer, I feel even ordinary images have a lot to teach us about who we are and are called to be. Growing up in the 60’s I was surrounded with images and messages about beauty and femininity; images I found hard to dispel even after being shaken and stirred by the women’s movement in the 70’s. For years I dealt with the tension between longing for beauty and knowing it shouldn’t be important by avoiding beauty salons, makeup, expensive clothes, etc.
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But though I made my own choices clear, I never discouraged my daughters’ attempts to explore those arenas; it seemed to me that in order to apply makeup, choose a hairstyle, or dress well you needed to be willing to understand your own body and its flaws quite intimately; something I never had the courage to do but hoped would be easier for them. Now that my daughters are grown, I admire their willingness to engage with the face in the mirror, and appreciate the balance they have struck between intelligence, practicality and appearance (Brains, Floss and Sexy) in a world which still places an inordinate value on beauty.
My daughter and her friends prepared for this big dance with a delightful mix of humor and intensity; I loved watching them support and encourage one another. But it was clear that each had moments when she was essentially alone with that face in the mirror. At heart it’s the challenge all humans face: we can surround ourselves with friends and activities, masking reality with humor and makeup, but eventually we must confront our own unique selves. Will we have the courage to see and address the flaws and learn to live with them? Or will we turn and look the other way?
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