Am I hot or not?

“When I look in the mirror and the only one there is me
Every freckle on my face is where it’s supposed to be
And I know my Creator didn’t make no mistakes on me
My feet, my thighs, my lips, my eyes, I’m loving what I see”
-India Arie, Video
I often receive phone calls from women who are interested in modeling for the ads and magazines that are produced by the agency I work for. While most of the callers are genuinely interested in persuing a career in modeling and are only looking for opportunities to build their portfolios, there is the occasional voice on the phone that confides she wants to be a model because her boyfriend told her she wasn’t “pretty” or “hot” enough to pull it off. Those calls disturb me deeply.
I have had long, intimate telephone conversations with women who openly invite me to critique their personal appearances, something I couldn’t do even if I wanted to as I am only speaking with a voice over the phone. More importantly, I am NOT AT ALL comfortable with doing that. I’m not Simon, and we’re not on American Idol. Yesterday’s caller pleaded to come to my office so I could “look at her and just tell her on the spot whether I thought she was good enough to be a model.” This made me squirm in my seat and gave my belly a turn.
I always tell women who call to never compare themselves to pictures they see in magazines because they are only seeing the end result of touching up, color correcting, ect. Also, those photos were taken under the best of artificial conditions: the best lighting, the best location, the best hair & makeup, ect. I also tell them I have NEVER worked with a model whose photos I didn’t have to enhance or correct, no matter how beautiful or flawless the model appeared in person.
Mind you, I am not a therapist on any level, but I feel in cases like these all they really want is some affirmation that someone thinks they are beautiful just as they are, no matter what some insensitive, shallow and highly stupid boyfriend says. I try my best to build them up as I talk with them on the phone, and it gives me great satisfaction to hear the voice on the other end begin to calm down and regain confidence. It’s all I can do for them.
But aside from all that, I think if I were dating someone who told me I wasn’t pretty or cute enough to have my picture taken, I would be far less inclined to look for a modeling job than I would be to get rid of the man. But hey, that’s just me.