ATTN: This is an invitation to see the beauty in yourself!
When was the last time you looked at a photo of yourself and truly appreciated what you saw?
Not just the smile or the outfit, but YOU!
For many of us, being in front of the camera can feel vulnerable and even scary. We’ve been taught to critique ourselves before we celebrate ourselves. We focus on the hips we wish were different, the lines we wish would go away, or the parts of our story we’ve been told to hide away.
But what if, instead, we permit ourselves to see our bodies not as problems to fix but as vases to carry our stories, our resilience, and our joy?
The Geode Theory
I said it before, and I’ll repeat it: body image educator and photographer Terri Hofford’s The Geode Theory reminds us that, like geodes, we often hide our brilliance under a rough exterior. From the outside, geodes look like regular stones, but when you break them open, there is something extraordinary. A crystalline canvas shaped by pressure, time, and nature.
Just like those stones, our beauty and truth may not always be visible, especially if we’ve been taught to only look for it in narrow, conventional ways. But it’s there. It always has been.
“You were never broken. You were always becoming.”
–Terri Hofford, The Geode Theory
Your body is not a “before.” It is not some placeholder or lacks value until you become “better” or perfected.
It is the only home you’ve ever had. It has carried you through every chapter of your story.
Find Out What You Love About Yourself
We often ask, “What’s wrong with me?” but how often do we stop to ask, “What do I like about myself?”
I’m not trying to peddle any toxic positivity or pretending sunshine is pouring out of our bodies like every day feels amazing. It’s about practicing appreciation and noticing how your smile curves. How you’re eyes light up when you laugh. The quiet power in your posture when you’re standing in your truth.
Even on the days when it’s hard, even when self-love feels out of reach, you are still worthy of respect, of kindness, and of being seen.
Photography isn’t just about creating a “perfect” image or even a “good enough” image. It’s about making meaning. It’s about documenting who you are now, not just for yourself but also for those who love you and those who come after you.
You deserve to be remembered, celebrated, and seen.
Portrait sessions aren’t just for models or milestones. They’re for you, right now, exactly as you are.
And like I’ve said before, every wrinkle, every freckle, every scar tells a part of your story.
And your story is absolutely worth telling.
So Here Is Your Invitation
Take a moment today to find one thing, really just one, that you like about yourself. Your body. Maybe it’s your laugh. Maybe it’s your wit. Maybe your strength.
Then say it out loud. Write it down. Or better yet, photograph it.
Not for validation. Not for likes.
Let yourself feel beautiful. Let yourself be curious.
But because YOU deserve to see the beauty that’s already there.
