Empowerment and self-respect: what do these words mean to you? Do they mean the ad-campaign buzzwords that feel a mile away when you look at airbrushed photos in magazines? Or do they mean something more; something unique, wonderful, and entirely yours?If so, perhaps you attended the Love Your Body Fashion Show, held Nov. 13 in Dana Auditorium. The show’s participants represented a wide variety of body types and came from all walks of life and beauty. Despite the unlucky weather conditions, the hard work from everyone who helped put the event together managed to create a great experience.

At 7:15, in typical Guilford time fashion, sophomore Lamia Elgouacem took the stage.

“Once we stop fixing ourselves, we become free to invent lives that inspire and excite us,” said Elgouacem.

The crowd cheered with compassion and support, showing that the fashion show was the time and the place to be content with one’s personality and body alike.

As the first person appeared from behind the curtain, applause erupted from the gathered crowd. Sophomore Audrey Henneman danced across the stage in a red, frilled outfit that reflected the smile on her face.

More women stepped, skipped, twirled, and even slouched their way out onto the stage as the show progressed.

From high heels, short stature and long hair, to jeans, short hair and slippers, each woman demonstrated a different path to beauty.

“Everyone was just so happy up there. It worked really well. We were just loving ourselves for who we are,” said Henneman.

After the first runway show, the audience was treated to a dance performance choreographed by junior Cordelia McKusick.

As “You’re Beautiful” by James Blunt began filling the auditorium, the leotard-clad dancers sprang to life, each moving to their own rhythm before joining together, embracing one another physically as well as emotionally in a display of the unifying power of inner beauty.

“We only had four days to put this together, but it was really fun,” said McKusick. “I think we really expressed feminine strength up there.”

As the dancers left the stage, enjoying the audience’s applause, Gerina Auguste, president of Fit & Fab (a student run organization for healthy living) came up to the mic to promote the self-respect-driven group’s continued effort to incorporate healthy exercise into the student lifestyle. All too often, students do not take the opportunity to exercise, especially as the days grow colder, and Auguste suggested Fit & Fab as a way to counteract the winter slump.

The show was capped off by a raffle for a back massager and the return of all the models to the runway, this time wearing self-designed T-shirts that proclaimed why they love their bodies. They passed the microphone from person to person and proclaimed why each one was beautiful.

One speaker summed up the tone of the evening particularly well in a direct yet graceful manner.

When passed the microphone and asked why she was beautiful, she simply replied, “I’m beautiful . because I’m me.