Actress Paige Billiot Creates Photography Project (And Poses Nude) To Celebrate Flaws
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Actress Paige Billiot Creates Photography Project (And Poses Nude) To Celebrate Flaws

Though she once felt insecure about her birthmark, Billiot now wants to celebrate the uniqueness of her body.

750
Actress Paige Billiot Creates Photography Project (And Poses Nude) To Celebrate Flaws
dailymail

Love your flaws.

How many times have you heard that? If you’re a woman that is even slightly in touch with the media, probably a lot. But actress Paige Billiot, known for her role in "Road to Hell," is taking this clichéd saying and turning it into a meaningful campaign called the Flawless Affect.

Billiot was born with a large red birthmark across her cheek, called a port-wine stain. Port-wine stains happen when an area of skin gets an insufficient supply of nerve fibers. When there's a lack of nerve fibers, small blood vessels keep expanding, allowing a greater amount of blood to flow into the blood vessels and causing a stain to form under the skin. This is not an effect from anything that mothers do or do not do during pregnancy.

“When I was younger, the birthmark was hard for me to deal with. It was part of feeling vulnerable,” she told The Daily Mail.

Growing up, Billiot was bullied and questioned about her birthmark. Sometimes, the bullying turned from verbal to physical. As a kid, her family moved around a lot, and she had to explain over and over again what was on her face. But she eventually learned that standing up in front of her class, introducing herself, and explaining what the birthmark was, stopped a lot of the badgering and helped her accept her skin discoloration.

Now at only 23 years old, she’s continuing to take back agency and is loudly proclaiming that she loves her “flaw.” She created the Flawless Affect by collaborating with many photographers and even encouraging other people with “flaws” to get involved. She wants these artistic photos – some of them nude – to shed a positive light on skin imperfections.

"I created this project in order to give people a creative avenue to shed light on their 'flaws,'" she wrote on her Tumblr page.

Some photos feature her without many clothes on, while others feature her in gorgeous dresses. There's one of her in a robe, seemingly just chilling out at home, and several on her Instagram page in which is she covered in body paint.

Though her profession requires her to be in front of the camera, makeup covers her birthmark while on set. This project marks the first time that Billiot has stepped in front of the camera for a wide audience without cosmetics concealing her “flaw.”

“The whole goal of Flawless Affect is to redefine beauty and change the perspective of what a flaw is. I’m hoping that people will look at these photos and have a better understanding that whatever makes them different is simply beautifully unique,” Billiot told Yahoo Beauty. “The way we’re able to highlight a flaw in such a creative way will hopefully help erase any negative stigma one has imposed on themselves. I hope people accept themselves no matter how different they are and embrace that.”

For the photo above, Billiot outlined her birthmark to emphasize it.

Billiot doesn’t want the project to only focus on skin imperfections or discolorations, and anyone who feels that they have a flaw can join the project.

In the photo above, Billiot poses with artist and body painter Nick Herrera.

“This outlet is for anyone who feels they have to live with some sort of flaw, be it physical, mental, or emotional,” Paige explains. “The Flawless Affect project isn’t just for people with birthmarks, but is expanding to celebrate flaws of every shape and size and kind,” Billiot said.

She eventually wants to turn the project into a non-profit organization to further her efforts in redefining beauty.

“It has been amazing – I've got a lot of feedback from girls of all ages. They tell me their stories, they tell me how much they hide it and then tell me that this project has completely inspired them. I feel like I can help so many more and try to change their mindset to acceptance," she explained. "You must have the [mentality] that a flaw is flawless. It will still take a while, but it's about perspective."

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
houses under green sky
Photo by Alev Takil on Unsplash

Small towns certainly have their pros and cons. Many people who grow up in small towns find themselves counting the days until they get to escape their roots and plant new ones in bigger, "better" places. And that's fine. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought those same thoughts before too. We all have, but they say it's important to remember where you came from. When I think about where I come from, I can't help having an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my roots. Being from a small town has taught me so many important lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Keep Reading...Show less
​a woman sitting at a table having a coffee
nappy.co

I can't say "thank you" enough to express how grateful I am for you coming into my life. You have made such a huge impact on my life. I would not be the person I am today without you and I know that you will keep inspiring me to become an even better version of myself.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

90544
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

62416
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments