Next up in our Model of the Month Series is Liz Richards! Liz has modeled for SmartGlamour for the #ImFlattered campaign and also our Winter/Holiday 2015 Look Book. We asked her a few questions about her SmartGlamour experience.
1. Aside from occasionally modeling for SmartGlamour – what do you do?
I’m a stage and event manager, and a theater podcaster and blogger! 2. How did you get involved with the brand?
I knew Ian (SmartGlamour Designer Mallorie Dunn’s husband) since we worked together on a play entitled Balm in Gilead in 2010, and when he started posting about what his amazing now-wife was working on I was anxious to get involved. I went to one of the SmartGlamour fashion week shows and was so in love with not just the brand but the enthusiasm of the models and the audience. Everyone was having a great time!
3. You’ve modeled for us multiple times – what makes you continue to come back?
I know that as a petite white woman, my body type is already represented a lot in the media, so I wanted to support but not necessarily become a face. But then a modeling opportunity came up and I was thrilled to be asked. I love supporting a female-led small business based in New York, and the shoots are always a blast. It’s a lot of fun to be in the room with so many accomplished and confident women.
4. What does body positivity mean to you?
It’s embracing who you are at that very moment. I have good days and bad days with how I feel about how I look, but body positivity to me means that even on the bad days, I can appreciate all the things my body can do.
5. You were a part of our #ImFlattered Campaign that went viral in early 2016 – where you showed off a scar on your back that others have told you to hide – what was that experience like for you – and what was it like being one of the faces of a viral campaign?
I was pretty nervous to do #ImFlattered- not just because I was showing a part of my body I’ve been explicitly told to cover up, but because I didn’t feel like it was “enough.” My scoliosis and the spinal fusion in my back is sort of an invisible disability that I don’t like to draw much attention to. And here I was putting it under a spotlight! But the shoot itself was a lot of fun- the other women were so confident it was contagious. And after it came out, I did what you’re not supposed to do and I read ALLLLLLL the comments. I had people reach out to me on Facebook and Instagram who also have scars they try to cover up, and how happy they were to see that acknowledged in a campaign for body positivity. That made it all worth it.
6. If there is a message you could put across to other women through your modeling photos – what would that be?
Confident women are attractive. If you’re confident in who you are, you’ll attract the people who want to be around that, and the people who can’t handle that won’t bother you anyway.
7. What is your advice to other women who would like to give modeling a try?
Imagine how a younger version of you would feel seeing someone like you as a model. Your putting yourself out there could inspire the next generation, and that’s a great world to be in.
