I’m a star, and I don’t need you to tell me that_Paloma Elsesser
There are so many stereotypes out there giving the idea of women should suffer their heart and soul and pursue that beautiful body curve yet at the same time spreading messages encouraging us to accept ourselves as how we are.
“All women are beautiful,” they said, “just the way they are.” But is it really?Is it really that every each and one of you can accept the diversity and inclusivity of beauty?
I guess not everyone does.
But Paloma Elsesser had set a path for us. It’s a path toward the ACCEPTANCE for ALL BEAUTY.
“We’ve been told that the emblematic person to represent that ideal is somebody that we’re not — it’s someone we aspire to be. But there are moving parts happening in other industries with inclusivity that are radically showing to people, yeah, it’s fantastical, but it’s also a fantasy to see someone that you feel akin to and alike and inspired by. That’s a fantasy too.”
But being outside of the norm is something Elsesser has experienced her whole life, which is perhaps why she seems to navigate her role with such ease.She was discovered by the well-known makeup artist,Pat McGrath, who tapped Paloma to be one of her Instagram-inspired muses.
By working in this competitive modeling industry, Paloma is a rising star from social media. Ever since she started her modeling career, she has been fighting against a long-held belief that the term model should apply to someone “thin, tall, and usually white.”
“Look, I’ve never done nude before. I cried 3 times before this shoot. I cried because I still feel scared, paralyzed by insecurity at times, and exhausted by an unfettered vulnerability that I want to present to the world,”
“I did this to show that being fat isn’t a burden. Being fat isn’t ugly or shameful. To prove to one person that it isn’t BRAVE to be fat, but bountiful. And for that young girl looking on Instagram, or walking down Spring Street, that she is fucking perfect despite the precarious and irresponsible versions of beauty we are urged to digest.
In an industry where you’re more likely to find copious amounts of sexy selfies in a top model’s Instagram profile than any mention of the emotional toll that the industry can often take, Elsesser’s raw openness — her willingness to admit she’s susceptible to fear and self-doubt and that’s okay — is what has her poised to be the leader of the new school of model icons.
NO ONE CAN TELL YOU WHO YOU CAN OR SHOULD BE.
Be whoever you want, and most of all, be happy to be you!
