NORTH ST PAUL, Minn. — When you're trying to teach young minds that the world they so often hold in their hands is not quite real — things aren't always easy.
During a workshop called "Be Resilient," LaTwanna Williams, the owner of Perfectly Imperfect Studios in North St. Paul, asked young girls to name some social media channels they know of.
Of course, the girls had no problems doing that.
"Snapchat, Tik Tok, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram," they all shouted one-by-one.
The point of the workshop was to teach young girls that their definition of beauty does not have to hinge on the one that social media channels peddle.
"My own daughter watches YouTube and she was starting to question her curly hair," Williams said. "And that's when I really had to look out of my own circle and into what I was doing to see if other girls are feeling like this, too."
And of course they are. The effects of social media on the mental health of not only adults but children have been well-researched. For Williams though, the occurrence is far more frequent — and she sees it pretty often.
"I've noticed that when I do family photography, the boys don't have any problem being in front of the camera," she said. "But the girls, they kind of look down, look off to the side, and I just want to build confidence. I realized after talking to the girls and some parents, a lot of it is coming from social media."
Seventh-grader Brooklynn Levy can attest.
"It is very stressful because a lot of people want to fit in and a lot of people don't fit in," Levy said. "And you just want to have a spot."
"Just because people tell you stuff doesn't mean you have to listen to them," Mary Williams said. "Because it aggresses you badly, and your heart can get crushed."
While there is no antidote to a crushed heart, a confidence boost by means of an authentic portrait can help a heart toughen. So Williams took to her skills as a photographer to help the girls gain more confidence at Sunday's workshop.
"I'm not gonna tell them what to do because I want to capture who they are," Williams said. "And then they're gonna go home with this image that has their power word that boosts their confidence so when they're feeling down, they can look back at that picture and remember: This is who I want to be."
Williams got to work taking portraits of the girls. Not asking them anything, but "normal" questions, like how they liked learning from home, instead of going to school. How they're doing in dance class. What they loved the most about themselves.
This was not about finding the perfect photo to post online. It was about finding one that captures the beauty in each girl.
However, many of them are already wiser than we'll ever be.
"Be you, it doesn't matter what people say, embrace who you are," Brooklynn said.
"Don't listen to people if they say something bad to you," Mary said. "You keep going, you feel your heart — and just be yourself."