One of the most rewarding sights we can experience is seeing the sincere smile on people’s faces. It’s a contagious act that can instantly change one’s mood and affect the outcome of their entire day.
A sure way to bring a smile on anyone’s face is to compliment them and watch as they react to the unexpected comment by a complete change of expression on their faces; it truly is a beautiful thing.
There are two awesome people out there who have done just that: go up to strangers and told them that they were beautiful. The results are heart-warming.
First is Mehmet Genç, a Turkish photographer who in January 2015 was in Mexico and attempted to put his subject at ease in front of the sometimes intimidating lense of a camera. So he decided to fix this by using an ice-breaker: he told his subject that she was beautiful. “I needed a pick-up sentence. Something easy to say and something that makes [people] show an expression. And what is better than a compliment as an icebreaker? It makes a connection for a short time and makes people relax and smile.” says Genç. As you will se below, his photo series include photographs of women from Indigenous communities.
Second is Shea Glover, an actress and filmaker from Chicago, who took it upon herself to
conduct a social experiment at her high-school. Her approach was to ask various people to pose in front of her camera and inform them that she was “…taking pictures of things [she found] beautiful“. She further explained, “I conducted an independent project which evidently turned into a social experiment regarding beauty…I want to clarify that my intentions were not to get a reaction out of people. I was simply filming beauty and this is the result.”
I have included just a few images taken by Genç and Glover respectively. But if you would like to read and see more of their beauty project, click on the following links:
Mehmet Genç: Website | Instagram | BBC article | Bored Panda article | Telegraph article Shea Glover: Youtube video | Bored Panda article | Refinery29 article
Hope you all can marvel in the photo gallery that I have attached below and realize that it’s the smallest actions that can impact one’s day or life dramatically. So I challenge you all to compliment a stranger, because the world needs more of it. And to Genç and Glover, thank you two for instilling a sense of joy in the lives of your subjects, even if it was for a few seconds.
I do not own the rights to any of the photographs below. No copyright infringement intended.
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