Let’s Talk About CELLULITE!

14 Feb Let’s Talk About CELLULITE!

I wasn’t going to address this because well-paying attention to stupid stuff somewhat justifies it as necessary discussion. However, THIS photo of Gaga being a rock goddess is what seems to be the topic of discussion this past week.

Not because she’s beautiful, or powerful, or rocking stiletto sequined boots, but because OH MY GOD IS THAT BELLY FAT!??!!??!

Seriously, people we live in a world, in a country that that is divided so many friendships are ending and families are falling apart, but let’s please focus on this belly fat instead. Let’s focus on superficial topics instead of actually talking to each other.  I’d like to first say this: every woman I’ve ever photographed has fat and cellulite. There is no hiding it. Unless you are 12 years old (and sometimes even then) it is there. And ya know what? It’s perfectly okay.

It is the one thing women always ask me about with their images “I hate my cellulite, can you make it go away?” and the answer is yes and no. Yes, the lights will wash a lot of it out, but no, I cannot take it off your body.

I was talking to Tiffany at the studio the other day about weight loss and a particular client who is on a spectacular journey (she just signed up for her first 10K race!). My comment was when I was younger and wanted to lose weight I found great success in doing so with what I thought was hard work and dedication, but the root of it all was I HATED MY BODY. I hated the stretch marks, the fat, the flab, the damn cellulite. So I went to the gym and I ate kale and lettuce like chocolate. I lost weight. And although that felt great, loving my body because it was thin felt disgusting.

When I started Jezebel VonZephyr Photography I expected to photograph tiny women, like Gaga, with nothing but confidence already built in. What I found was that was not the case with any woman anywhere. When the owner of the company (aka ME) starts saying things like “Love your body” I have to walk the walk. I started looking inside and disseminating why I have spent so many years hating my body. It was many things, so much of it was the fact that I had my daughter so young I felt like I missed out on being “young” and “hot”.

I had to start letting go of old wounds and terrible grudges and resentments towards others. Only then, did I realize that my beauty comes from the inside out. I started shopping and found clothes that were trendy and fit well and I felt sexy in them. When I bought my size 16 booty a bikini I thought I had won the lottery. Just putting it on my body felt like freedom.

I say all of this not to promote being fat or overweight, but to promote that beauty comes from the inside. All of our clients that have had massive transformations (and many of them have) already knew they were good, wonderful people. They just needed someone to hold up a mirror for them and I couldn’t be prouder that it was us that got to do that.