One of my favorite activities to do with friends is take pictures, and I typically exhaust myself doing so. In the grand scheme of things, I can see how it can be confusing why I feel compelled to do this.

Due to my conditions, I usually have very little control over what my body looks like ro how it feels. It’s altered by the status of my health, surgeries, and side effects from my medications. I struggled a lot with this loss of sense of self when my health first crashed. I was dealing with changes on such a large scale and couldn’t figure out who I was.

One day I realized that the one thing that can never be taken away from me is style. You don’t need energy or less debilitating symptoms to have a sense of style. You can adjust your style to make it true to yourself while still being comfortable, but those choices aren’t and can’t be fully taken from you.

Dressing up and taking photos is my form of self expression and self reclamation. Plus I love it! It’s so fun, I love to get creative, and I have so many fond memories of doing it with friends and family!

My family could tell you that I’ve been passionate about style ever since I was very little. I’ve had a LOT of horrible phases throughout the years, but I was never afraid to stay true to myself during them. There’s nothing better than wearing an outfit you love, you feel represents you, and makes you feel confident! I find expressing myself through style and photography absolutely empowering. 

My body will do what it wants and look how it wants, but *I* get to control how I can take that power back.