Carly Findlay

Writer, speaker, appearance activist. Loving life!

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Talking Beauty at All About Women – Sydney Opera House, and being published on CNN Style

May 17, 2020 Carly Findlay Leave a Comment

One of the last things I did, before the world changed due to COVID-19, was speak at All About Women at Sydney Opera House. It was a career highlight! I chatted with Bri Lee and Flex Mami about beauty. We talked about beauty standards and representation, and the role of social media.

Image: three women, sitting on a stage, talking and laughing. They’re all wearing bright clothes.

You can watch the video of our talk here.

I was so lucky to share the experience with my Mum. Just before the session on Beauty, we took part in a African head wrap workshop, run by 2 Sydney Stylists. It was a great way to explore beauty, and also to get back to our South African heritage.

Image: two women of colour, mother and daughter, standing and smiling. They’re wearing colourful head wraps

We caught up with old friends and new – reading, laughing, eating and drinking, oblivious to how the world was about to change. I miss events like these, and acknowledge how lucky I was to have these opportunities. I can’t wait until they happen again.

A couple of days after All About Women, I received an email from an editor at CNN Style. She commissioned me to write a piece on beauty, after seeing the livestream of our talk. Another career highlight.

Here’s an excerpt.

“I am careful to only post photos of my real face — unfiltered. I don’t reduce the redness, nor edit the skin flakes from my scalp or clothing. I do it because I don’t want to hide who I am, and I do it so I can be visible — because I believe visibility creates possibility…

Until about 10 years ago, photo retouching was only done to models and celebrities in magazines. Now, with the help of an app, or even some phone cameras, anyone can sculpt their face or remove a blemish in an instant.
It worries me that we have access to digital retouching at our fingertips, and that so many people don’t show their true faces anymore.

It takes a lot of courage for those of us with facial differences and skin conditions to show our real faces on social media, when those with beauty privilege are altering theirs. It says a lot about the impossible and homogenized beauty standard that we’re told we must aspire to.”

You can read the whole article here.

Image: a screen shot of the CNN home page. A photo of a woman with a red face and short dark curly hair, wearing a yellow and navy floral dress, laughing. The text above the photo is the text: “CNN Style
Appearance activist Carly Findlay: ‘Visibility is possibility’
Published 5th May 2020”
Text below the image reads: “Carly Findlay OAM is an Australian writer, speaker, and activist. Findlay describes herself as an “appearance activist” and has been outspoken on a number of disability-related issues.
Credit: Prod Haus for Starting With Julius
Appearance activist Carly Findlay: ‘Visibility is possibility’
Written by Carly Findlay
Carly Findlay OAM is a writer, speaker and appearance activist. She’s also the author of “Say Hello,” a memoir that recounts her experience of living with the rare skin condition ichthyosis. All opinions expressed in this article belong to the author.”

Speaking at the Opera House and writing for CNN were dreams. I am so pleased to have these opportunities. Thank you.

It’s been 10 weeks since I started isolation. Since my calendar cleared. Things are picking up. Restrictions are easing. I have hope.


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Copyright

The material on Tune into Radio Carly is copyright. The writing in this blog is by Carly Findlay unless otherwise stated. Most photos in this blog are by Carly Findlay unless otherwise stated. Please do not reproduce without permission from Carly Findlay. This blog represents my personal opinions and experiences. It does not reflect those of my employers'. The information I provide about ichthyosis is mostly based on personal experiences. Please seek medical advice or counseling before trying any new treatments I've written about. Where stared, I use affiliate links on this blog. By clicking them, I receive a small percentage of the purchase.

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