BEAUTYfull™ is baaaaaack and I’m so excited to share the fourth in this series, featuring our own Brooklyn beauty – Miss Eve Root.
For those who haven’t caught up on the preceding posts or just need a little refresher…
BEHIND THE CONCEPT: What is BEAUTYfull™
Spread beauty. It’s the diva way.™ It’s our mission. And our goal in spreading beauty, the diva way, is that it reaches everyone. It is inclusive, not exclusive. We believe beauty comes in all ages, races, genders, features, sizes, shapes, body types… in all the unique elements that form each of our unique whole. There is a FULL spectrum of BEAUTY and we all exist in it. With our own personal experiences, stories and voices. And with that thought, originated the concept of BEAUTYfull™.
So without further adieu, please meet our fourth subject…. Eve Root.
Special note: All photography by Stephania Stanley. Concept and makeup by Lauren Cosenza. Shot in Brooklyn, New York.
THE FOURTH SUBJECT: Eve Root
Our fourth subject is Eve Root, a self-proclaimed “midwestern girl taking a hiatus in the big city.” Born and raised in St. Louis, Eve currently lives in Williamsburg Brooklyn and works in the Flatiron district. Eve has been making jewelry for over 10 years and is the community manager for en.JOYYE, a unique shopping concept created for the stylish and also socially-conscious jewelry lover. Being brought up Jewish, Eve notes, taught her that family is EVERYTHING — with food and wine being close second runners-up.
Eve reached out to us to participate in the BEAUTYfull™ project because seeing the original posts struck a personal chord. “It’s programs like BEAUTYfull that begin to break down the definition of beauty and begin redefining it in way that make it more accessible and attainable for everyone. Being ‘beautiful’ doesn’t make you a beautiful person – looks are only a fraction of the equation.” She adds, “Beauty standards have always been unattainable, but now with the plethora of social media platforms those unattainable images saturate our news feed and seep ever so deeply into our own conscious. They alter our perception of the world, which inevitably alters our perception of ourselves. We have to stop promoting false representation and start promoting real life and real beauty.”
THE INTERVIEW: Eve and her thoughts on rejecting impossible and false beauty standards and finding beauty from within.
What do you love about yourself physically? What have you felt pressure to change or alter?
I like my smile. I had braces and orthodontic work for almost 6 years growing up, so It used to be something I was self-conscious about, but now it’s my favorite part of myself because it epitomizes who I am and how I live my life.
I also love being short. My friend from college used to say I was “perfect hugging height”, and who doesn’t love to be hugged??
I have always felt pressure to change my weight. I still remember the time in elementary school that I saw my friend Emily’s flat stomach. I went home that day and looked in the mirror wondering if that is what mine was supposed to look like – it didn’t. After that moment, I was never satisfied with my body. I joined Weight Watchers my sophomore year of high school. It was particularly hard for me growing up in a Jewish household where our gatherings were – and still are today – centered around food, booze and family. Food was always such a comfort to me, until it started affecting the way I viewed myself. I had to find a way to feel comfortable in my skin. That led me to start identifying characteristics in myself that I found beautiful outside my physical appearance. It taught me that feeling beautiful has to come from within.
Describe the idealized standard of beauty for women as you see it today. What does the perfect woman, as defined by Hollywood, entertainment and social medial, look like in 2016?
Tina Fey said it best, “Now every girl is expected to have Caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, a classic button nose, hairless Asian skin with a California tan, a Jamaican dance-hall ass, long Swedish legs, small Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner, the hips of a nine-year-old boy, the arms of Michelle Obama, and doll tits.” Tina hilariously points to the unattainable expectation of beauty in today’s society.
How do you think most women compare to this standard, or feel about it?
By definition this is an unattainable standard, thus most women feel inferior. This breaks my heart because even the hollywood actresses and style icons who set this standard, don’t look like that on an average day.
If you had a crystal ball, what do you see in the future for beauty?
My crystal ball is an optimistic one. I see more diversity. I can already see our definition of beauty begin to include more ethnicities and cultures, but we are still not quite there. I hope this continues to expand exponentially! Furthermore, body acceptance will be incorporated as well.
Any beauty advice you’ve been given that you particularly appreciated?
Advice that I have always appreciated and taken to heart is that confidence is the sign of true beauty. SO much more than looks, it’s how you carry yourself. It’s the whole package. It’s the person, it’s the smile, it’s the aura that surrounds a person. Being happy with yourself and true to yourself is the most beautiful act a woman – or man – can do.
When do you feel beautiful?
After a long, hard, sweaty run, when I shower and start getting ready to go out to do something with my family or good friends, I feel beautiful and empowered. The process of getting ready has always made me feel beautiful. I put on music, dance around in my underwear while trying on half of my closet. I feel like the possibilities are endless.
Who were your first beauty icons? Who do you see as a beauty icon now?
My first beauty icons were probably my cousins, Steph and Liz. They were a few years older than me and took me and my friends under their wing by giving us makeovers and fashion advice. I still look up to them today for beauty tips.
My beauty icons now are the women in my family. Particularly my mom. It’s no coincidence that people can spot our family resemblance from a mile away – it’s because I have adopted her style to epitomize her “mini me”. She taught me beauty is not only what you look like, but how you present yourself from the inside out.
What is beautiful to you?
Confidence. Laughter. Authenticity. Being true to one’s self.
Who is beautiful to you?
I see beauty in every single person I walk by. I once saw a quote that said “A woman’s (or a man’s) beauty is not seen: IT IS.”
For this post I used the products featured below. Please note this post is not sponsored. All thoughts are unbiased and my own and the subject’s own. Products were provided for editorial consideration and/or my use as a professional makeup artist. All photos are property of DIVAlicious and Stephania Stanley Photography.
FIRST LOOK
SECOND LOOK
xoLC
Lauren Cosenza is the creator and editor-in-chief of DIVAlicious, a trusted beauty/fashion expert, an on-camera personality and spokesperson, a leading NYC-based professional makeup artist, a published contributor and writer, a brand consultant, a product junkie and an insatiable style seeker — with a former life at Cosmopolitan and Shape magazines.
Serving up style with a side of attitude, her site DIVAlicious gives women (and men) the confidence and permission to be fabulous. The site, with a goal to SPREAD BEAUTY, is filled with must-have products, pro tips and tricks, how-to DIY tutorials, makeovers, style inspiration and insider access. Topics range from beauty, fashion, culture, career, fitness, wellbeing, men’s and unisex offerings.
Stephanie Stanley (or Stephania, as her Greek family calls her) is a New York City-based advertising and editorial photographer who specializes in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. Her work can be found on ELLE, Harper’s BAZAAR, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Marie Claire, TODAY, DailyCandy, and TeenVogue. Her client list includes Levi’s, JCPenney, Clean & Clear, Microsoft, Olay, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Garnier, TRESemmé, Estée Lauder, Nexxus, GAP, Secret, and more.
Stephanie holds an MFA in Photography from Parsons and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and puppy, Ophelia, where she can be found running along Brooklyn Bridge Park and enjoying chocolate croissants from the local Italian bakery (typically in that exact order).