PROJECT REAL: Chloe

Meet Chloe.

“I would categorize my style as sweet girl-next-door meets sexy librarian/elementary school teacher.”

And with that sentence, Chloe began our interview. I mean, how can you not like this girl?

Chloe was one of my favorite people to shoot during this project, not only because of her incredible talent as a model, but also because of her vibrant personality. She’s not only easy to work with, but easy to be around. “I love my sunshine-y nature. I really like to light up other people’s lives and make them happy.”

I think Chloe’s existence gives the expression “DAAAANG!!!” new meaning. The camera couldn’t get enough of her! Chloe isn’t afraid to embrace her body with a “hips don’t lie” attitude, and it totally shows.

Chloe’s style inspiration comes less from what a person wears and more from how they wear it. “One fashion model for me is Chloe from ‘Don’t Trust the B**** in Apartment 23’…she doesn’t take any grief from anyone, and she couldn’t care less of what people think of her.” Chloe also seems to credit me for inspiring more adventurous looks, but I think we all know that’s more thanks to her driven and adventurous spirit.

“For all my pear shaped girls out there (and everyone else, at that): you don’t have to ‘balance’ your body like fashion magazines want you to. You don’t need to have an hourglass figure to be beautiful; you should wear what makes YOU comfortable and confident. Don’t try to cover your stretch marks or cellulite or anything else out of fear of judgement! If someone has a problem with your appearance, then they probably wouldn’t make a good friend. If someone doesn’t like how you look, then they don’t have to look at you. Plus size girls can wear whatever they want–even pixie cuts! Being different doesn’t mean you should hide yourself.”

One more time with that last line: being different doesn’t mean you should hide yourself. If you stray from the traditional, standardized image that the media and society has unceremoniously labeled as “beautiful,” don’t hide. For the sake of those who are also different and feel insecure, for the sake of those who need an inspiration and role model for change, for those who choose to fuel the parasite of destructive marketing tactics and need to be checked at the knees, do not hide yourself. Being different should be celebrated. Chloe is a great example of a powerful woman embracing the fact that she is beautifully and unapologetically different, and loving every minute of it.

Thanks for helping the movement, Chloe. You run this world.

Thanks for reading the fourth Project Real model post! I hope you enjoyed viewing this post as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Huge thanks to Chloe for being gorgeous and awesome and kick-butt, to dad for photography expertise, and to mother for holding down the fort at our downtown base.

Want to know when Project Real makes its next appearance? Follow PM’s Facebook Page for updates, and follow me on Instagram and Twitter @ProjectMaganda for more details and behind the scenes looks with the hashtags #ProjectMaganda and #ProjectReal.

Much love,

Erin