We treat beauty like an accomplishment, and that is insane. Everyone in L.A. says, 'Oh, you look good,' and you listen for them to say you've lost weight. It's never 'How are you?' or 'You seem happy!'
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I find it funny that people now come up to me and say, 'Wow, you are absolutely gorgeous. I'm like, 'I was beautiful before I lost weight. Egotistically speaking, I thought I was amazing.'
Being in the beauty industry has taught me that most of us are never satisfied with how we look. We all wish we had better hair, could lose that last 10 pounds, or look like someone else. I always see the beauty in the clients that have sat in my chair, and I've tried to help them see it, too, and feel good about themselves.
A few years ago I lost 30 pounds, and people still wanted to criticize. And honestly, I'm happy with myself if I'm a little heavier. I realized: 'Why am I trying to conform to someone else's idea of beauty?' I think I'm beautiful either way.
When you feel great, you emanate a certain energy that translates as beautiful. I don't care if you have the standard beauty or not; it's that X-factor that comes through, and the basis of that is good health.
Real beauty is to be true to oneself. That's what makes me feel good.
Thanks to capitalism, the importance placed on beauty has never been so manipulated. We are the guinea pigs force-fed ads that tell us how pathetic we are: that we will never be loved, happy or valuable unless we have the body, the face, the hair, even the personality that will apparently be ours, if only we buy their products.
Beauty is being in harmony with what you are.
Whenever I go to L.A., the make-up artist or hairdresser will end up having a conversation about how fat they think they are, and I really just can't take it seriously at all.
I believe that how you feel is very important to how you look - that healthy equals beautiful.
I am not trying to conform to an unrealistic model of beauty. I am, however, being proactive in being the healthiest I can be.