Take two

I was just about finished with this - my first-ever blog post - when that unexpected ‘save changes’ thingy-ma-bob’ popped up and I clicked ‘no’. *Sigh*

So I’m starting again, everything happens for a reason right? Right, which is why I am sitting here, on a random Wednesday evening in March, with an instruction to myself to be the change I want to see in the world!

I am busy with a six week course, rather intensive I might add, which is all about setting intentions, and making them happen. This requires a lot of mind-power, a lot of support, but most importantly, the belief that I can make this happen, by simply communicating. Well since this is what I do for a living as a PR consultant, I again thought, how hard can this really be. The industry I work in is a little flawed, there are good days and bad (mostly good), and a lot of what I do (not all of what I do) revolves around getting publicity for my clients in media applicable to the industries in which I operate. In other words, when you read an article about the launch of an iPad for example, 99% of the time it has been developed and secured by a PR agency. Also, when you read about a success story in a magazine about someone, that’s probably also secured via a PR agency. So now that you know a little bit about what I do, I’ll carry on with the intention thing.

The intention has to be something that excited me, but made me shit myself at the same time. It had to make my heart pound and palms sweat, but the thought of achieving it had to make me want to burst. You’re thinking sky diving, bungee jumping – nah, not for me, doesn’t interest me in the slightest. I chose an intention that I never thought possible, it was so out of the blue and seemed so unachievable, but I said it anyway. I wanted to be on the cover of a magazine, the April issue to be precise, with my baby girl (no guessing it’s a mommy mag). So I put it out there because, like I said before, nothing is achieved without communication.

I contacted the editor, sent her my story, my motivation to be on the cover and what I thought at the time was a pretty accurate pic of my little lady and myself.

 

And then I waited. Not for long however, and the response was along the lines of “thanks for your mail, like the approach etc etc – and then this “We would really need to see latest pics of you and your baby, so if you can get those to me this week that would be great. The decision is dependent on our stylist and art director, so it’s not just in my hands. We are also trying to feature more professional models than “real moms” (if you know what I mean) as per our new direction. But please send pics and we can take it from there.”

Well it wasn’t a NO, right??? But then I read the email again and re-read it, and the part that was bugging the shit out of me was the professional model blurb. I mean why? Do professional models help the magazine industry sell more magazines, which in turn depresses the readers as these people are so not real. Sure they’re gorgeous, skinny, pimple-less, flawless objects of perfection, but on a Mommy and baby magazine – seriously??? Do you have to be a size 8 four months after giving birth, because that is what this industry is telling us in normal? Whose normal? How scary and how sad.

Anyway, in my ignorance and clouded by the disillusion that she wasn’t really being serious about this whole professional model jibe, off I went, and had a ‘professional’ shoot done, trying to mimic a magazine cover, hahahahaha – I really wanted to do this the proper way, to make sure I had covered all my bases, and be on the cover. And this was the result:

I even agreed to having the moles on my arms and chest removed (well most of them anyway) – because that’s how far the airbrushing goes in the industry. I see a few were missed. I sent a selection of pics on a Friday, and again I waited, and waited. And waited. No news is good news right? Wrong! Monday afternoon and there is was, the response I was so excited to open. This was all I saw - Unfortunately we won’t be using you for the cover – I’m so sorry for this, but as mentioned our new directive is to use professional models.

Now this is where something triggered in me. I wasn’t upset about not getting the cover, it was the professional model crap again. In a world where women suffer every day from major self-esteem issues, weight problems (both big and small), unreasonable aspirations to be a perfect 10, where messages about looking beautiful glamorous, sexy, gorgeous, thin are thrown at us every day – what happened to being real? Or is this the new real?

I don’t think so, and I refuse to accept this. What is it going to take for the world to realise that no one is perfect. That being a mom is one of the most cherished and sacred privileges for a woman to experience and be – and with all this we're constantly told that you’re none of this until you look like a model. What a joke!

This blog is for real people, it's for those of you who see straight through those covers and know inside that you are truly beautiful just the way you are!

Keep it real!
N

Dedicated to my beautiful daughter Alexis Olivia, perfect and flawless in every way!