Alternative model Amerzh speaks up about the fashion industry and its impact on women's body image.

#womanspeaksup #fashionindustry #bodyimage #storytime #inspiration

Amerz is an alternative model who studies Makeup Artistry and Beauty Theraphy in Scotland.

This is her story.

Up until a few years ago I was a complete tomboy. I never wore dresses or did anything girly, I was happy but not content within myself. I knew how I wanted to be but I didn’t have the courage within myself to be it. The past two years since moving to Scotland I have begun modelling and also doing a Makeup Artistry course followed by Beauty Therapy. I’ve met people who are the same as me, who’ve struggled with various issues and used this new found world as a way of expressionism. When I prepare for a shoot I prepare to become someone else, to get lost for a while in a world that belongs to another person. My favourite moments are helping others feel they can escape too.

Makeup can give such a fantastic confidence boost, it’s like a mask of bravery to face each day. In today’s world more and more of us are dealing with mental health issues and one of the issues shouldn’t be what we look like. Our body image should be accepted more by us than social media, it’s ours, what we came into the world with. We should be able to look in a mirror and be proud of what we see no matter how we look. 

There was a time when the fashion industry was all about being 6ft tall and skinny, ‘real’ ladies were never featured.  Until now. Now models of all ages, size, back ground, interests, are welcomed into the modelling world. I myself am an Alternative Model, I can have my hair funky colours, I can wear my Gothic clothing, I can be me, comfortable and not feel I have to conform to a ‘dress code’ to do something I love. I, like many others, would have been overlooked at castings because our look was not considered marketable but I am very happy to see this is not the case anymore. It’s a great time of change with gender and sexuality choices being more accepted in society. I feel as more and more of us speak up, society changes its outlook. Imagine a world without plus size models, alternative models, any model with a disability, non-binary gender models, the list goes on. I think it would be dark, boring and repetitive. We need to embrace each other, give support and show that we can be us and us is good. 

Check out her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amerzh/