For the past month, my sorority sisters have been meeting in a field to take photos. But these were different from any of the other photoshoots we have done before. We didn’t get made up and put on cute outfits or pretty dresses. There were only two requirements: a letter shirt and a bare face.

Our goal was to showcase something different, something that we don’t get to see very often. Natural beauty. Our world is full of images of unrealistic standards. We see models with flawless skin and perfectly thin waists, wearing clothes that most of us will never be able to afford. And while these things are beautiful, they aren’t the only things that make a woman beautiful.

For years, I looked in the mirror and compared every part of myself to someone else. I hoped for a slimmer face, thicker lips, smoother skin. I wished that my arms weren’t so skinny, that I didn’t look so scrawny or that I weren’t so short. I prayed that one day I would look more like Emma Watson or Jennifer Lawrence or anyone other than myself.

I wore frumpy clothes throughout high school to detract attention from myself. I didn’t have time to put on makeup in the mornings so I tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. I was quiet in class and stuck to my small group of friends. When I did get made up for school, people would tell me how pretty I looked, and it made me feel good. But I would wonder why they never told me this on any other day. Sure, my friends often told me how pretty they thought I was, how they wished they could be thin like me or have hair as smooth as mine, but I just assumed they were being nice. Soon I realized, they were telling the truth. Because, just like me, they had things that they didn’t like about themselves. Even though Danielle always has amazing hairstyles, she was insecure about her height. And even though Mica has gorgeous hazel eyes, she would tell me how she wished her skin were clearer. No matter how beautiful I thought they were – and vice versa – there were always going to be things we didn’t like about ourselves. Every girl thinks this way.

So I learned to be more comfortable in my own skin, because you never know who wishes they have what you have. There are different things that make every woman beautiful. Just because you have crooked teeth or wear something other than a size two, it doesn’t mean you are any less beautiful.

This project was so special to me, because it showed who my sisters really are. No makeup to cover imperfections or change the shape of our eyebrows. Just us. And, to me, that is the most beautiful thing that any of us can strive to be.

Each of us got to share a quote with our picture, be it a quote from someone we admire or an original. I chose to write something myself. So here is me: no makeup, no frills, just unapologetically me.

“True beauty is not defined by one standard and cannot only be found in perfection. Beauty doesn’t lie within perfectly contoured cheeks and painted lips. It can be found in crooked smiles, freckles, and upturned noses. Beauty comes in every size, shape, and color. I believe that all women are beautiful in their own way, and we should surround ourselves with people who can appreciate that beauty.” – Morgan Covington, 2016

You can check out the rest of our photos at MB Photography.