"Girls are Always Heroes!": A Visual Love Letter by amanachan

Lomographer amanachan gives women the most important reminder on how we can keep appreciating and discuss more about women's rights, roles in their society, their lives, and gender equality. In this feature, we will be reading her "story of girls” by looking at film photos taken by amanachan -- who is already exceptionally popular among the ladies -- as she encourages women to be themselves and embrace their femininity.

Girls are Always Heroes

I like photographing the different looks that girls show. This is why most of my models have been girls. When shooting portraits I try to photograph “who they are” and “who they are trying to be”. I shot three different kinds of me with Lomo'Instant Square Glass, as well.

Putting really cute clothes on did make me so happy! So many options for fashion and makeup. Fashion helps us become our dream girls, and that’s why we’re always the main character. Hairstyling, fashion, and doing nails; all girls enjoy doing those cute things! Many women enjoy getting ready for the day, choosing their favorite clothes and makeup, and listening to their favorite music. This is what we all love. Sometimes we feel blue after spending so much time trying to find the best outfit and just end up not finding anything good, but that’s also what we like about ourselves.

'Kawaii' is Everything

Always taking selfies doesn’t mean I love everything about myself!

Seeing girls taking selfies, some of you might think girls must love themselves a lot. But what really matters to me is whether I can be the way I wanna be through pictures.
Now that social media is a big part of society, some girls are having a hard time comparing themselves against others. I’ve seen girls complaining about their physique and skin color, not just their proportion.

But literally, every girl who’s trying her best to be cuter is already 'cute' -- kawaii in Japanese! So don’t think too much, and just eat what you like and have a healthy life. Having a beautiful mind and loving yourself is all that matters! Even if you can’t fully love yourself, there’s always someone who loves the way you are.

Personally, I like girls that are a bit chubby and long-faced with some crooked teeth. The vibe, soft skin, and smell that girls have can also be attractive to anyone.

Women are Powerful

Have you ever heard of PMS? Women aren’t the way you think they are 24/7.

The premenstrual syndrome causes sadness, irritability, stomach, headache, and stress-eating. And yet, no matter what’s happening to their body, women still have the power to smile and work hard through the pain! This is just so powerful and cool. Be extra kind to women when they are not feeling well.

Girls are the Best

We girls are fun and diverse.

Yes, we talk about fashion, relationships, eating, shopping, and talking about good-looking guys. Girls dress up nice and go on a date together on a weekend, and maybe on a picnic when the weather is good. Lady’s Day discounts are also my best friends especially with movies and all-you-can-eat (it's also cheaper!) Anything can be so fun with friends! But we also talk about serious and dark topics, and sometimes even things we can’t tell our parents. Finding a new relationship can be tough as we get older, but girls always have each other's backs, and they are our true friends if we can share every piece of joy.

I talked a lot about girls so far, but I don’t mean to define what girls are and what they should be. If you believe you are, you are a “girl.” I just had my birthday the other day, but when I turned 20, I’ve felt 16 ever since :) I don’t want any gender or age differences to stop our life to be the way we want. A friend of mine wrote these incredible articles about stereotypes, so, if you can read Japanese, please take your time to read them if you are interested.

・We are stuck with stereotypes
・Talk about stereotypes

Before we end, I want to emphasize that, even though women are still facing inequality in today’s culture, I’m hoping for a better future where all women can be more active.

Thanks a lot for the confidence boost, amanachan! Get to know more about amanachan through her home page, Instagram and Tumblr.

2021-03-31 #amanachan