Photographer: Yours truly <3
MUAH: Kitty Munoz
Model: Delia Murillo
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
And my "I Want To Be A Pin-Up Girl" essay contest winner is...Michelle Delane Morrow AKA Shelly Dee!
I really enjoyed reading all the essays that were submitted. I do wish more girls entered, but it was STILL a hard decision. Michelles was sweet, entertaining, expressed her personality with confidence and had good grammar usage. Now, I hope you enjoy her essay as much as I did.
Ciao!
My name is Michelle Delane Morrow a.k.a Shelly Dee. I’m Sicilian, Spanish,
French and Mexican. I’m 32 years young and a single mother of a handsome 3 year
old boy. I was born in Long Beach and raised Whittier where I currently live.
The two hobbies of mine that I’m really passionate about are poetry and
photography…they’re kind of like my therapy as I sometimes suffer from anxiety
and panic attacks brought on by going through a traumatic pregnancy and
delivery. I’m a certified Administrative Medical Assistant and I plan on going
back to school this fall to obtain my Associates Degree in Nursing. My dreams
are to become a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit nurse (I have a soft spot for sick
and premature babies since my son was a preemie), be able to financially
provide for my son 100% on my own and pursue pinup modeling.
I draw my inspiration from many
different people one of them being my mother. She raised both my sister and I
by herself while working, furthering her education and often going without to
do for us. Another inspiration for me would be the models of the 1940’s and
1950’s such as Ava Gardner, Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe and Bettie Page to
name a few. I know there are many others but those are the ones that come to
mind. They were REAL women with REALISTIC bodies. I’m not knocking the models
of today at all. Some people find super thin bodies and plastic surgery
attractive…I’m not one of them but that’s just me. I do think there’s a lot to
be said for a woman that embraces her curves, femininity and sexuality with no
apologies.
I was drawn to the pinup lifestyle
fairly recently. During my high school years, through my 20’s and up until
after I had my son I felt as though I didn’t fit in and no style appealed to
me. I was always the chubby girl with the big boobs and wide hips. So shopping
for clothes was NOT something I enjoyed...yes I said it...I know…awful right?
Everything was either too big or too small and not flattering in the least. One
day I watched a YouTube tutorial on pinup hair and makeup that I decided to
try…I LOVED IT!!! The big hair, the cat eyes, the red lips and the clothes that
hug and accentuate a curvaceous figure without letting it all hang out. For the
first time I actually felt…well…pretty J
I feel that I deserve this photo
shoot because I’ve battled with self image issues and still have bad days from
time to time and being a single mom I rarely get the chance to doll myself up.
As a women I feel that it is important to play dress up occasionally, look at
yourself in mirror with a smile on your face and say “Yeah…I’ve still got it!”
Having a photographer there to capture such a blissful moment would be the
icing on the cake and make me a very happy gal!
I feel that if given this
opportunity it would help not only to boost my confidence but give me a little
push in the right direction toward healing. Thank you from the bottom of my
heart for taking the time to read this and I’m definitely keeping my fingers
crossed.
Michelle won a Deluxe Photoshoot with yours truly, as her photographer and Kitty Munoz as her make-up artist and hair stylist! Stay tuned for photos. <3