AJ is a senior!

Are you sick of me talking about doing senior shoots for the beloved children I babysat for in and after college?? Well, sorry not sorry; there are still a couple of them left to be seniors.You last saw AJ on the blog when she hopped in at the end of her older sister Claire's senior shoot, and we joked then that we would blink and AJ’s senior shoot would be here. WELL WE BLINKED.I am so incredibly proud of AJ. She has a tenacity and sureness of self-identity that is incredible to witness. For a few years now, she has been hard at work creating safe & welcoming spaces for LGBTQ+ kids, and challenging non inclusive practices that affect those same kids at the private school she attends. During this shoot, she told me about a recent incident where her class was taking their formal senior yearbook pictures — you know the ones, where they velcro a fake tuxedo on the guys and put a drape and pearls on the girls. AJ was determined to not wear the drape and pearls because that did not feel like the right choice for her. So, after a few tries talking to various teachers and faculty (and getting flat out no’s), she pulled it off. AJ was the first person in her school's history allowed to choose which outfit she felt represented her best.AJ has Finals this week but somehow managed to find some time to share a little about her experience during her senior shoot:

“I feel like kids my age—especially girls—are in a perpetual state of trying to live up to unrealistic and often unhealthy beauty standards. During a photoshoot with Ashley back in 2018, I had no issue posing, smiling, feeling confident, and having fun. Since then I’ve changed/grown a lot, and so has my body. In the past year it’s been hard to feel happy or confident when having my photo taken, and at the beginning of my shoot with Ashley the self-consciousness took over. I felt uncomfortably vulnerable and ugly, and I started crying. Ashley assured me that it’s normal to feel vulnerable when having photos taken—it’s a personal thing! She showed me some pictures she’d taken so far—in just a few shots she’d captured my personality and not just my face and my body. After she hyped me up some more I felt like a badass and was ready for the shoot! I was confident knowing Ashley would capture ME and not my insecurities. When the shoot ended my vulnerability hadn’t gone away, but had become a catalyst for confidence in my authentic self.”

HOW INCREDIBLE IS SHE, Y’ALL?! Sheesh.Congrats on your senior year, AJ! And best of luck on those Finals. ;)