FASHION WEEK 2010

Twice a year, September and February, Mercedes-Benz sponsors Fashion Week. It is a time for designers to show off their upcoming collection on a runway. Being able to cover one of these events made me feel like I was living the high life. Everything I've seen in the "elite" television series/dramas was right in front of me. When I saw last weeks episode of Gossip Girl, I felt so powerful saying to myself "Hah! Fashion week, I was there!" I saw wonderful designs and makeup artist work.

Many girls hate on models for all the wrong reasons. "She's disgustingly skinny", "Shes overweight", "She looks like a man", "Her features are too harsh", or even "Ew she's ugly".  Yet, look again, these girls are the ones walking and being photographed with pure confidence and allure. And we see this get criticized once a week on television, Americas Next Top Model for a change. Some people may agree with Tyra and the judges, and some may not. During this years Fashion Week, I met one of the judges and former photographer Nigel Barker at Barnes & Noble when he spoke to an audience about his book, "Beauty Equation". He answers your question on, "What is Beauty?". How can one achieve beauty? Is it truly about your physical appearance? Of course it doesn't tell you the silly things you don't want to hear like, "Its all about your nice personality."  Nigel Barker sums up the beauty equation with 10 essential qualities that one should have to be beautiful. He guarantees that you will find your outer beauty by unveiling it. Coming from a tall, beautiful man like himself who has been in the beauty business for years, I'd take advice from this book and use it. He looks just as great on television and in pictures as he does in person and through a lens. People tend to look completely different on and off camera but those with true beauty look just as great. So if you don't want the 10 extra pounds a camera gives you to look bad or the lack of makeup to make it seem like you wear a mask on television or film, then maybe we should start following his beauty equation and test it out ourselves.

I feel like I'm being exposed to a completely different world and I'm constantly behind the scenes but I'm loving every moment of it.