Lydia Earhart

By the time you read this I will be 30.

I started freaking out about 30 when I was 25. When I was 28, I already considered myself 29, and weeks before I turned 30, I felt indifferent. I’m just ready to be old.

Each fall when we come back to production on CityLife for the September issue, I think about how to reinvent the wheel with our usual themes. For our annual fall fashion shoot, I wanted to do something different and tell a story or better yet, tell their story. (Read more on Page 25.)

Since I started at CityLife, one of my goals was to expand the fashion section and bring it to life. I wanted to see real women model. Real women meaning the women who mean something to you.

As women how many times do we compliment each other on what we wear? We get ideas from what we see on each other and then translate it to our individual style. It was a no-brainer, and in this community, let’s admit it – we like seeing our face in magazines.

you may have seen photographer Brittany Strickland’s face in our February issue when she shot “The Angelic War.” She mostly wears black and white, but her personality is full of color. She is a walking tribute to her late mother.

Teaming up with Strickland took me off guard. She was immediately the one who wanted to tell stories through her photography. Her goals align perfectly with CityLife’s message of focusing on and empowering women. As a photographer, Strickland shows the beauty of all women, but she also wanted to give back to women who just needed a break.

In June, she posted a Facebook contest seeking out a woman who deserved a complimentary photo shoot. The shoot was complete with hair, makeup and a new look. It was perfect for fall fashion, and I saw a great opportunity.

After our first meeting, we both were ready to change the type of women in fashion. Instead of the contest and basing it on one single female, we chose our five based on the demographic and types of CityLife’s readers. I wanted a variety of ages, professions and personalities.

I sat down with each of the five to interview them. out of our conversations came inspiring stories that proved they have been through challenges and made it out stronger.

Sharing these five stories with you is special. My hope is to show models in a different light and change the way we think about beauty and ourselves.

Beauty is who we are and changing from models to more of a fashion reality will help us find that something special in ourselves.

From the shoot Being in the presence of these women was inspiring. Get to know them and see these women in the latest fall fashions on Page 25.