It is so easy to judge someone, give your opinion about a choice someone else has made for themselves for whatever reason.
In a world where freedom of speech is so important, we should remember to respect one another, to give each other space to make our own choices, and pursue our dreams.
Live and let live is what I try to strive for every day; I have my opinions, of course, but I try not to judge anyone who thinks otherwise in life. I did not start this project to point fingers to people with different opinions. And now that I have a large following and a voice, I won’t change my point of view.
Every woman has the right to make her own choices on how she wants to age without being judged. Botox or no Botox. Fillers, plastic surgery, the whole shebang, or not. And that also includes me. My liking for natural aging women is personal, and I wish to age as naturally as possible myself.
Isn’t it essential in life to keep an open mind, to be open to other people’s ideas and opinions? How else can we develop ourselves, to grow, and to learn? And of course, we don’t always agree with other people’s views. But there is plenty of room for all of us, with all our beliefs.
Women should stop being judgemental to other women and start to empower them. This project, these portraits, the women, the stories, this is real life. My pictures point out my preferred outlook on aging, natural, confident, proud. AndBloom is my vision of “a beautiful journey into aging,” but I will never judge a woman for making other choices in her life. We are all aging. We are all women. If we respected and supported each other instead of condemning, wouldn’t our collective journey into aging be much more enjoyable? Maybe even easier?
My mission?
- Publish portraits to prove how beautiful, naturally aging women are over 40 and older and embrace all signs of aging.
- Show how absurd it is that we see this target group so little represented in the media. There are so many of us, and the growing need for recognition is notable.
- To create a women-friendly community where we can ultimately be ourselves and speak our minds.
- A digital place where women can connect with other like-minded women. A place where we can talk openly about our similar thoughts and issues without judgment.
- To realize that, I write and talk about self-love and self-acceptance.
Finally, I believe if we stop to be critical of ourselves, we also stop criticizing others. Let’s celebrate our uniqueness and honor personal choices. Let’s encourage one another to take risks and fearlessly be our best selves!
