What’s Kanye got to do with it?
Once upon a time, before all the Kimye divorce drama, American rapper Kanye West was renowned for being so good at loving himself that he inspired several quotable memes. Some famous examples include “I love you like Kanye loves Kanye”, “No one loves Kanye as much as Kanye loves Kanye” and “I hope one day I will love myself as much as Kanye West loves himself”.
I see your kool kid Kanye and raise you a fabulous Frida Kahlo! I have no idea what that last sentence was about, but I stand by it.
The Indomitable Ms. Kahlo
Frida Kahlo was a talented Mexican painter to whom life handed a basket full of lemons. She had polio at age 6, which gave her a limp. And a car accident at age 18, that shattered different parts of her body. But out of all that pain and tragedy came such phenomenal art. She had about a total of 143 paintings, and 55 of them were self-portraits.
These portraits weren’t like the Mona Lisa or Simonetta Vespucci (allegedly) in the “Birth of Venus”. Nah, her self-portraits were raw and authentic. They told a story – her story. And she didn’t seem to give a hoot about what others will think.
Your challenge, should you choose to accept it…
Channel your inner Frida by creating your own series of perfectly imperfect photos. Frida’s self-portraits featured her unibrow, mustache, and depictions of injuries – details that would deem her “less than perfect” by societal standards, and yet, they were iconic!
What you will need
- Something to photograph with – phone, digital camera or polaroid, it doesn’t matter
- The muse (that’s you!)
- Props (whatever floats your boat)
The Plan
The goal is not to look like a model, but you can certainly draw inspiration from art and fashion photographs – strike your best pose, “smize” for the camera, and let go of your inhibitions.
The aim is to tell your story. Don’t be afraid to channel different emotions through the photographs. Use your props to create different themes. Make it gothy or comical, or recreate your favorite magazine covers.
Why go through with this challenge? For the (twisted) fun of it! For empowerment. And for the memories, art therapy, YOLO… I could keep going, but I’ll stop now.
What happens next?
Not much. This could be an intimate creative project you can work on each month or at the end of the year. You could turn it into a mini calendar or a wall collage or simply add it to an album. Also, you can add relevant quotes or words of encouragement next to each photo to counter any BS that your inner critic might come up with when you look at the pictures in the future.
Conclusion
You could use the weeks leading up to the shoot as an opportunity to treat your body better. For example, strive to get more sleep, de-stress, exfoliate, and cut back on salt (to reduce inflammation). Lastly, you don’t have to share these photos with anyone if you’re not comfortable doing so, it could be your very own little secret. (* _ ^)
“In a world brimming with engineered perfection, owning your quirks makes you a James-Dean-level cool rebel with a cause.”
– Bodyonapedestal.com
Leave a Reply