In my line of work I meet a lot of women and spend quite a good deal of time with them, often hoping for meaningful conversation or a little glimpse into who they truly are. I love to observe the little parts of them that make them their own person, unique pieces of their character that may only appear in the few short hours I have making a connection with them.

Whether it's having a one on one photo session or doing their hair and make-up, my overall goal is to capture their essence and bring out their inner beauty. In those short few hours, I am aware of quite a lot that makes them beautiful and always it is what is inside of them. Unfortunately, they never seem to have the same awareness. It is shocking to me that these bright, successful, beautiful, loving women can't see how wonderful they are! They focus on the aspects they wish they could change, the parts of themselves that they don't Love. And it can be difficult to please a client when their inner insecurity or an outside friend or family member impacts the way they feel about themselves. As difficult as these interactions can be, I see it as a challenge and even as a reminder to myself to quiet the negative voice within me. Aren't we all guilty of it? It isn't up to me to try to convince the women I work with that they are truly beautiful, but I do feel it is part of my purpose to help them appreciate everything good they have to offer.

It is funny in today's society where we want to be unique and loved for who we are yet we have the hardest time loving ourselves for who we are. We are trained by social media to “Like” or “Dislike”. We look to images, t.v. shows and others to accept us, acknowledge our beauty, our thoughts and our very being. What we need is more words of loving kindness to ourselves. We need to learn to stop ourselves before we have a negative thought about the way we look and eliminate the destructive self-hate. What we need is more people around us to remind us to Love ourselves, to accept ourselves for who we are and what we look like. We need more reminders that our outer appearance isn't what makes us beautiful and that hating on ourselves won't change anything except make us feel small. We need to encourage each other that if there are changes you want to make, make sure they are positive ones that benefit your health and that fulfill your soul. A Beautiful Body Project is all of this and more, which is why I am so grateful to get the opportunity to be a part of this.

When I asked my friends if they could be a part of this first series, I asked them to answer one simple question: “What do you Love most about yourself?”

I patiently waited for them to come up with something, anything. It took them quite a while, when in seconds I had already formulated a list of things in my mind that I loved about each of them. I want them to know that there is so much about them worth loving and I wish they could truly see it and believe it.

While there is no correct answer to my question, I do hope that the next time I ask someone, “What do you Love most about yourself?” they will look at me and say, “I love everything.”

- Mailyne Briggs (Rebate) is a ABBP Regional Photographer based in Ottawa, Canada. She is a multimedia artist born in the Philippines and is a Mother of one amazing 20 month old boy. Her passion for photography is another one of her outlets of creative expression. Website: http://www.mailyne.com