Take a trip with Briahna Elis as she shares with us part of her experience with this year’s ProjectRedVI Fashion Show presented by SFA’s FnM!
I am on a quest to find my Sasha Fierce. I decided to step outside my comfort zone and dive head first into something that I never would have attempted in my past. Before I go any further into detail about my quest of finding my inner diva let me introduce myself. I am Briahna, a sophomore at SFA and I am a Physics major. I love clothes, bling and being a beautiful plus size woman. However, I am a bit shy and I tend to let my nerves get the best of me. I am afraid to extend myself for the fear of being rejected by societal views of what is beautiful.This is what I need to change. This is what I will change.
So I thought, what can I do to push myself to become more vibrant in the eyes of other students and professors and not the ‘Nervous Nancy’ that too many of my peers have gotten to see? My first push came the day I tried out to be a model for the Spring fashion show that is put on by the Fashion N’ Motion organization on campus. This is THE EVENT on campus, where anyone that has a calling for fashion and glamour swarms for a peek of what will be the hottest outfits and accessories for the spring and summer seasons. Being a model on stage is no laughing matter and only the best of the best are able to go out and bring the art of fashion to another level. Tryouts are not the hardest part for me. Being confident and inspiring other plus size girls to go after what they have only dreamed about is my goal. This is more than me. Its more than just inspiring plus size women.
With all the positivity and strength, I find that the struggle is real. What struggle? The one that every women faces. That nagging voice in your head that rips you apart. You’re not small enough. You look like a giant compared to her. Your not a true model’s size. You’re not pretty enough. The constant nagging thoughts, that hit the first day of practice. Hundreds of pivots and spins later, when the clock hit eight, the positivity had weaned the strength had decreased and the struggle prevailed. Although practice had ended I was not done….