At 7, 17, and 27
My friend Chelsea did a 10 year comparison on Instagram, and I thought it was pretty cool, so I spent tonight digging through the most unorganized ziplock bag of photos trying to unearth pictures of myself from 1987, 1997, and 2007.
Dance recital: age 7
Senior portrait: age 17
AGE 7 // Okay, first of all, this is a dance costume. I didn't walk around town in fishnet pantyhose and a ruffled bodysuit, okay? I wasn't some second grade harlot. The song was "Uptown Girl" and it was full of box steps and pivot turns, I'm sure. Second of all: that black tuft of "hair" on the back of my head is actually black netting attached to the little cap I'm wearing. For the record, I wore this hat to school more than once after the dance recital. Age seven was magic. At the time, I knew who the cool kids were, and I knew I wasn't one of them. I knew I had a choice to make: try desperately to dress like them and suck up to them or just dance to the beat of my own drummer. I chose me. And dancing. And this hat.
AGE 17 // Check it! That's pantyhose and open toed shoes, y'all. If you look closely, you may notice that I'm wearing blue contact lenses and acrylic nails. The summer after my junior year of high school was rough. I had a really awful boyfriend, I burned a lot of bridges and felt I needed to transfer high schools, and I woke up early every morning to hot roller my hair like this. Senior year was 1000 times better, mainly because I got a fresh start at a new school, became a Christian and started putting my identity in Christ, and got my cousin (who I moved in with) to wake up before me and heat up my rollers so I could sleep in a bit.
Trying to model: age 27
Mom life: age 37
AGE 27 // WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE THOSE SHOES?! And why in the world would I want to be photographed in them with that dress?! At age 27, I was new to Texas and married. I was hustling hard to get paid acting work and miserable trying to model. I just remember this age being crazy. My marriage was a mess, I partied with my FNL friends more than a married 27 year old woman should have, and I made some terrible life choices... shoes included.
AGE 37 // I'm still trying to figure out my personal style, both sartorially and at home, but I have a firm grasp on who I am and where my identity lies. I am in the thick of the little years with my kids, but I don't feel like I'm in the trenches alone. I really enjoy motherhood and being a wife, and I'm confident in both of those roles. Thirty seven may not be as skinny and as cute as the previous decade, but I'll take it over 27 or 17 any day.
