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Beauty:
1. The quality that gives pleasure to the mind or senses and is associated with such properties as harmony of form or color, excellence of artistry, truthfulness, and originality.
2. One that is beautiful, especially a beautiful woman.

Beautiful:
1. Having qualities that delight the senses, especially the sense of sight.
2. Excellent; wonderful.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

The definition of beauty seems pretty open-ended. “Qualities that delight the senses, especially the sense of sight” can be interpreted in any number of ways, especially when it’s said that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” So why is Western culture’s ideal of beauty so narrow, so non-inclusive of diverse forms, colors, and physical types? Many women suffer from low self-esteem in part because they do not “fit the picture” of what constitutes beauty in our culture. Even women whose bodies meet the requirements set by cultural arbiters of beauty find that they still are filled with insecurity, shame and self-hate.

Feeling beautiful isn’t about vanity, or that much-mythologized narcissism that women are accused of harboring. It’s about who has acceptance, opportunities and positive visibility in our culture. Tolerance and cultural acceptance vary for women depending on their individual makeup of race, age, sexual orientation and size. Add illness, disease or disability to the mix, and the odds become even greater that women will experience a variety of negative responses relative to their distance from the cultural benchmark for beauty.

If the culture’s narrow image of acceptability doesn’t include us, then how is it possible to accept ourselves as beautiful? When a woman walks self-assuredly into a room, relaxed and at ease within her body, it doesn’t matter what size, shape or color she is. Her beauty comes from an inner light of self-acceptance that radiates outwardly.

When used as a healing art, photography offers a way to explore thoughts, feelings, emotions and even memories that surface during the photo session. During the process of sorting through negative messages that arise, it is possible to begin the journey of reframing and integrating new affirmations of courage, strength and beauty based on your own terms. By giving your body a chance to “speak” and be seen in ways you might not normally share, you can learn to look in the mirror and see yourself with kindness and acceptance. Then you can truly appreciate the diversity within others as well.

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“Lori made the experience of being photographed in the nude a very comfortable and relaxing time. She was very professional and talked and joked throughout the experience which was very helpful to my nervousness. . . I am pretty happy with my body but I found I was freer and more relaxed after having the session. I appreciated Lori’s humor and nurturing manner.” - Sharon Parkman, PhD., RN