Fashion
7 Models Who Prove That Your Flaws Aren't Really Flaws — From Diandra Forrest To Jacky O’Shaughnessy
I’ll be the first to admit that it’s sometimes hard to look in the mirror and not be unsure over what you see. Some days I take a glance and really love my freckles, feeling charmed by the stubborn smattering and remembering that summer in third grade when I first got them. Filled with Flinstones push pops, Ferris wheel rides during humid summer nights, and jelly sandals. Other times all I can do is pinch my chubby cheeks and wonder at what age, exactly, I will lose my baby face.
It’s a constant pendulum of loving the face that’s looking back at me, and wishing that that face could be different. Which is interesting, because why wouldn’t my feelings just stay the same? If I truly thought my flaws were flaws, why would they be my favorite parts of myself some days, and then the bane of my existence on others?
Whenever I have moments filled with doubts like these, I like to think of all the interesting beauties we see grace the covers of magazines, wrapped up in couture. I’m not talking about the Cara Delevingnes, but more of the Kate Mosses and the Kelly Mittendorfs. The ones who almost have an unconventional type of beauty — slightly strange, straying from typical — because those differences are exactly what make them so stunning. They're the knockouts with the wide-set eyes and gaps in their front teeth — characteristics that are usually deemed flaws by the mainstream. But interestingly enough also deemed their most beautiful features.
This shows two things: What we perceive as flaws are the very things that make us beautiful. Furthermore, our idea of beauty can change radically when someone else confirms that our more peculiar traits are, in fact, pretty. And once you're aware that your opinion changes so quickly depending on someone else confirming it, you can find the strength to refrain from subscribing to other people's opinions and learn to love your own features. Ahead are seven models who have what society has decided are stereotypical “flaws,” but who are all the more beautiful (and praised!) because of them.
Image: Instagram/laura_ogrady
Diandra Forrest
The first albino model to ever sign to an elite modeling agency, Forrest was born with milk white skin, blonde hair, and green eyes. She grew up being equal parts bullied and equal parts stopped on the street for her stunning beauty — which is exactly how she got discovered. She was headed for the subway when a photographer stopped her and convinced her to sit for him. She now walks for lines like Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier.
Image: Instagram/diandraforrest
Brunette Moffy
You see this Pop Magazine cover right here? This is actually Moffy’s first modeling gig, and she didn’t land it as a signed model. Instead, she was just a normal girl, recommended to the editor by one of their mutual friends after said friend heard that he was tired of working with standard models. Her crossed eyes made her interesting and definitely didn’t detract from her beauty, and now Moffy is signed with Storm Models — the same agency that represents Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, and Cara Delevingne.
Image: Pop Magazine
Kelly Mittendorf
Gap teeth, [traditionally] masculine features, thin eyes — Mittendorf posses all the features most of us have been conditioned to think of as undesirable, but this girl is on a whole other level of beauty. Her strong characteristics are the very things that grab you by the throat and have made her so successful as a model; they’re the perfect blend of strange and stunning. Because of her feline-like looks, she booked herself a Prada campaign before she was even 16 (and before I even knew there existed an alternative to sweatpants), and has walked in countless Fashion Weeks, even gracing the pages of Vogue.
Image: Instagram/kelly_mittendorf
Laura O'Grady
You know those big ears that you were teased for as a kid? The same ones that led Brad Pitt to pin his back and you to never wear a ponytail? Well, Laura O’Grady has them and they’re what made her huge. She’s walked in shows like Yves Saint Laurent and graced many an editorial, including Vogue and Dazed & Confused.
Image: Instagram/laura_ogrady
Ashley Graham
Famously gracing this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, Graham is one of the most well-known plus-size models in the industry. But limiting her to only her curves is a disservice. She’s been modeling since she was 12 (!) and has not only landed major campaigns like Levis, but has also appeared in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Elle.
Image: Instagram/theashleygraham
Adwoa Aboah
With her heavy smattering of freckles, Ghanaian model Aboah is killing it on the fashion scene. Landing an Aldo campaign, this British model has also walked in London Fashion Week for major labels like Topshop.
Instagram: Instagram/adwoa_woodge
Jacky O’Shaughnessy
American Apparel lingerie model, classic American beauty and, oh yeah, 62 years old. O’Shaughnessy shows that beauty and grace don’t end once your twenties are over.
Image: Instagram/stylelikeu
