I got my hair done on Saturday, left it wrapped up the entire day Sunday, then took it down today around 4pm. Because it was wrapped for over 24 hours, it still had tons of curl in it when I took it down. I thought it looked beautiful so I decided to take this selfie. This is the first selfie I’ve taken in almost two months.

Normally, I would have cropped out those plastic shower caps hanging on the doorknob. Normally, I would have wiped the dust and spots off the mirror and retaken the picture. But this time, I decided not to.

I want to display more of the truth of my life on social media than I used to. This means I’ll rarely use a filter, if ever. Most importantly, it means when I take a picture with the intention of posting it on social media, no more curating, no more cropping out what I think are the unflattering parts. I’m just going to give it to you straight, no chaser from now on.

Since I began this quest, I’ve discovered something surprising. I like these uncensored pictures more than the ones I cropped to look perfect. Full disclosure, I cropped the sides of this photo so the picture would be more of a close-up.

It normally takes me about 20 tries to get a picture I’m willing to share with the world. This photo is the first click of my camera and I love it.

I love that there’s no expression on my face. I love the directness and determination in my eyes. I love the power in my stance. I love that I look sure of myself. I love even more that I look like I don’t take shit. I don’t, in case you were wondering.

I look forward to sharing more pictures like this.