It’s easy to chat with friends in confidence about difficult subjects. When it came time to take headshots for her professional career, we realized we had also begun documenting her body dysmorphia.
Dayla’s words on body image
“Sometimes it’s really hard for me to accept compliments when it comes to the way I look. I know that in some instances, I’ll look in the mirror and say “oh, I like what I see” but usually when it comes to photos or compliments from other people it’s harder for me to believe. I don’t see the same thing that other people see l I just see a big girl trying to act pretty; trying to look pretty for photos.”
“When you spend your life facing rejections and back-handed comments that affirm your notion of the imperfections in the way that you look, or rather the way that your mind perceives you to look, it’s really hard to appreciate the image of yourself in a photo. It’s just difficult to accept that you’re beautiful and it sucks because that is what your mind just does when you have body dysmorphia.”
“I really wish I could see what others see when they look at me, but unfortunately my brain is still very stubborn.”
Haylie Maria Dittrich 