Joslyn
Joslyn has a story that needs to be shared.
This brave girl and her mom entered pageants with the desire to see Joslyn’s confidence grow. She’s just like lots of girls her age—sweet, loves the color pink, and starting to find out who she is. In addition, she’s beautifully unique because she was diagnosed with alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes you to lose your hair.
Her mom and Joslyn shared her story with me and I automatically thought of a past pageant friend who was also diagnosed with alopecia….and who happened to be in the Top 3 of last season’s America’s Next Top Model. They, too, watched the season to cheer Jeana on and we bonded over how cool it was to see her compete.
Joslyn and I started shooting together and with each snap, Joslyn’s personality began to shine through. Upon showing her mom the back of my camera, tears started to flow. The photos turned out to be stunning (obviously—look at how beautiful she is!) but the real win was that Joslyn believed in her own beauty.
“Oh Miss Brittany! I cried again. Honestly, this Alopecia journey has been incredibly difficult and our choice to join this pageant system was based on my desire to help Joslyn feel more comfortable in her own bald skin, gain confidence, and show the world what she has to offer. You were able to not only, capture her outer beauty, but also her confidence, poise and joy, not to mention being the first person outside of our immediate family, that she was willing to go bald for. What’s even MORE incredible, is that when she saw these pictures she FELT beautiful, which is why she gave the go-ahead to use one of the full on bald pictures for her ad page. My heart is so full and I am so proud of her. Thank you for being a part of this new journey and aiding my daughter in her ability to be confident just the way she is.
You truly have a gift and I thank you from the bottom of heart,”
Keep letting your beauty shine, Joslyn!
XOXO
-Brittany
Credits:
Pageant: Miss Wisconsin United States, Director Sara Axness
Makeup: @thealyssajoy on Instagram