I was going to write this as just a quick status on my photography Facebook page {click here}. But realized I had too much to say about it... so I'm going to say it here instead.
Just a quick thought for many of you out there... especially the moms and grandmas out there. I've heard so many women ask me, "Can you edit out these wrinkles?" And many times I divert the subject. Not because I'm unable to edit them... but because in most cases I choose not to. Its not a decision I make because of the time it takes to edit wrinkle.
I choose not to because, to me, wrinkles are beautiful.
Not only that, at Jennifer Christi Photography, we are about telling stories. What kind of story would we be telling if we completely changed the look of main characters?
My favorite wrinkles are the "crow's feet" and the "smile wrinkles" around the mouth.
Why? Every time you've smiled in your life, your face has left a small reminder of that joy. Every time you laughed, an imprint was made. Even if you don't remember every single smile, your face does.
I understand the point of taking care of your face, of moisturizing and of exfoliating. I'm not saying don't do that. What I'm saying is please don't be the cruelest person you'll ever meet. Don't judge yourself because you haven't kept a perfectly emotionless face your entire life. Who in the WORLD wants that?!
I've had this opinion for a long time, and I've thought to myself, "Will my opinion change when I'm older? Will I hate my wrinkles? Will I try everything I can to get rid of them? Will I edit them out of pictures of myself?" I, obviously, cannot answer this at this moment. But what I can say about it; I have some wrinkles around my mouth and eyes already. I am very proud of them. At the age of 25 I have smiled and laughed enough in my life that my face is already making a permanent imprint. I pray my smile and laugh wrinkles will only grow deeper and deeper.
Some of my favorite people in the world, who I find to be the most beautiful, have the most wonderful wrinkles around their mouths and at the corners of their eyes. The craziest thing about this is that I almost never see their wrinkles.
Why?
Because I look past them and see beyond them?
No. I don't believe you should have to look past them.
Its because they are almost always smiling.
Its only when you stop smiling that the wrinkles are noticeable. And they're there to remind you of when you were smiling.
Love,
Jenny
P.S. I realize there are many other types of wrinkles... these are just my favorites.
