A few years ago I canceled all of my magazine subscriptions. Image after image of teeny-tiny, airbrushed models and out of reach, expensive goods made me feel bad about myself. I hate to even admit it but reading magazines made me feel fat and poor. Eventually I realized that most magazines, even yoga magazines, are more advertorial than editorial. Why continue to pay a subscription fee to be sold a  lifestyle I don’t really want or need?

Nowadays I sometimes cheat, lingering in the long line at the grocery store in order to peruse an old favorite. Perhaps some of my magazines were unfairly cut (The New Yorker), but others I don’t miss at all (Vogue). These images of fashion week Model-Morphosis from T Magazine Blog are a good reminder of the true story behind the beautiful images, of how models are completely transformed – often away from their natural beauty, I think – by teams of hair stylists and make-up artists.

Who do you truly want to model yourself after? Chances are you don’t care what they wear or how their hair looks. Maybe they are objectively beautiful, maybe not. They are beautiful because they inspire us. Their images are the ones we should surround ourselves with and celebrate.