WEARING HER HANDS - is a project I made about a friend who shared her story.

Suddenly, everyone is looking at and photographing a part of you that you'd rather shove into a pocket or some gloves. I remember telling my fiancé, 'I wish I could just suck in my fingers.'"

The world is full of unequal gender stereotypes and expectations. When you walk into jewelry stores, the rings are marketed on small, dainty looking hands. Additionally, jewelry stores do not carry inclusive ring sizes to try on, leaving prospective customers with larger fingers to imagine how their engagement ring would look.

"It made me nervous to try on different styles, knowing they wouldn't look the same on my finger. I'm spending thousands of dollars, and I don't want to imagine what my ring would look like."

One jeweler who assisted Shelby made comments on how big the diamond should be to "cover her finger" and how wide the band should be to "be flattering on her." Even after finding the perfect ring, the feeling of embarrassment never left.

"I found myself apologizing to people for my finger size when showing my ring. The whole experience made me feel unworthy. After the proposal, I had so much shame wrapped up in the size of my fingers that I took pictures of the ring by itself, rather than on my hand."

“This is the first time not having my nails done in years because I thought the perfectly rounded almond shape would 'take pounds off my hands,' or at least that's what the manicurist said. Not long into having bare nails, I'm realizing that my hands are still good, without hiding under an illusion. They still pick flowers, pet my puppy, hold warm coffee, and wear a beautiful ring."

SHELBY IS AN ADVOCATE FOR RESPECTING ALL PEOPLE OF ALL SIZES. SHE WEARS HER RING WITH CONFIDENCE AND POISE. HER STORY INSPIRES OTHERS TO EMBRACE THEMSELVES AND FIGHT BACK AGAINST GENDER STEREOTYPES. 

WACO BLUES - the city of Waco, TX - a red, white, and blue American patronage.