THE VISION BEHIND Project Beauty
Started by Thomas Nguyen, Project Beauty began with the goal to help young ladies free themselves from the idea of perfection and empower them to not only to feel confident about themselves, but embrace the flaws that makes them so uniquely beautiful. Ultimately, it also allows those who are struggling to come forward, with strength and courage, to tell their story and serve as an ambassador and voice to those who feel they no longer have one.
In the world where we are pressured to present ourselves a certain way on social media, Project Beauty allows you to take a stand and embrace your flaws that make you uniquely beautiful. So often teens are bombarded with imagery of what society perceives as beautiful. While this culture has always been around, social media has only amplified this effect and it has put this in the forefront of our teens’ daily lives.
Our mission: redefine what true beauty really is and showcase that beauty amongst all the images portrayed on social media. To do this, we will remove the makeup, the filters, and the brands. What will be left, is a portrait that is powerful and uniquely beautiful.
This photoshoot is also a fundraiser, where all proceeds will go to BIO Girls. BIO Girls Inc is a Fargo-based nonprofit that provides self-esteem programming for adolescent girls. Since its inception in 2013, BIO Girls has impacted over 4,000 girls across the Midwest! Learn more about them on their website: www.biogirls.org
How do I get involved?
If you are in high school and part of the Class of 2021-2024 and are ready to stand-up and free yourself, please take a few minutes to claim your spot by completing the application through the “book” button. This is just a way for us to get to know you better and to let us know why being a part of Project Beauty would be meaningful to you.
Our Project Beauty photoshoot will be held February 11th, 2021 at Stacy Kennedy Photography’s studio in Fargo. To book your spot, there’s a $25 non-refundable registration fee. Your registration fee doubles as a donation and all proceeds will be given to BIO Girls Inc. After the project has been completed, you will receive a link to an online viewing gallery where you can select 3 images to download. Your gallery will be ready approximately one week after the shoot.
What to Wear
Keep it simple. The emphasis of the project is to connect through emotion and body language, not showing off the latest fashion trends. Jeans or jean shorts and a white or black top is usually the go-to outfit. We also recommend a white or black flowy dress. Whatever you’re comfortable wearing, that’s usually a good rule of thumb. We do suggest to the girls to avoid wearing anything that’s busy or has a lot of pattern.
Shoes or no shoes? We’ve started having girls wear shoes, but the more they got into the session, the more they became comfortable taking them off. Now we do them without. It really does add to the natural beauty look.
Preparation Reminders
Once you’ve been scheduled for your shoot, here are some tips to get ready.
Make-up. This is pretty obvious. No make-up means no make-up and that includes using foundation or concealers, mascara or eyeliner.
Hair. For hair management, this is totally up to you. Some girls like straightening or to curl their hair before the shoot. Some girls put it up in bun or a pony tail. To us, it doesn’t really matter what you do, because we feel it doesn’t take away from the overall natural beauty.
Skin. Most girls are really good with washing their face and using moisturizer the night before the shoot.
Lips. No lipstick or glosses of course. Just make sure you use lip balm beforehand to prevent chapped lips.
Nails. We usually ask all participants not to wear any polish or if you do, please have them painted nude, white or just keep them plain. As long as they’re not chipped, we’ll be fine.
We’re excited to coordinate Project Beauty with Giving Hearts Day! Giving Hearts Day is more than one day. It leads to a lifetime of generosity.
Individuals, businesses, and schools alike are called to share in the joy of giving. We encourage you to immerse yourself in the celebration, whether it be through your time, talents, or voice. With nearly 500 charities participating, there is an abundance of ways to help.
Want to donate to BIO Girls Inc.? Even if you don’t do the photoshoot, you can still get involved by donating online.