As photographers, we have the opportunity to meet
some interesting people. Most recently, I worked with
a model, Megan Michelle Jones. At first glance, Megan
looks intimidating, edgy, like someone who would
put you in your place very fast, but as I worked with
her, I learned that she is so much more than just how
she looks on the outside. Megan Michelle Jones, a
rebel that is who she wants to be, regardless of what
society says about her looks.
Megan has been treated like a princess and like an
outcast. Diagnosed with alopecia at age 8, her earlier
years were certainly challenging. Children are so cruel
and made her feel less than beautiful. Megan eventually started home school due to the treatment she
received from her peers. When you are that young, the
most important thing to be is popular and beautiful
and this disease robbed her of both. Physically flawed
in the eyes of others and then herself, her confidence
suffered. She found peace in ice-skating after getting
a flyer from school that read “Learn How to Skate”.
It was and still is her happy place. Skating provided
therapy and helped her regain confidence in herself.
Megan has been skating for 13 years, loves her Riedel
skates, and wouldn’t give up skating if her life depended on it. A few years ago, the solace Megan had
in skating came to an abrupt stop as she suffered
setbacks in her career. She qualified for showcase
nationals three years in a row, but was unable to go
due to injuries happening a month prior! Megan had
an avulsion in her hip one year and it tore her hamstring as well. Then in 2010 fell flat on her back and
herniated two discs along with breaking two vertebras. And THEN, in 2012 she was in a really bad car accident
and herniated two more discs, damaged tons of nerves, including her sciatic nerve. The toughest part of it all,
she had to give up skating entirely for a period of time. This time in her life could have been much more devastating had she not learned to value herself outside of skating. Sometimes our identities lie solely in what we do
in our careers and we should realize that we are much more than that, just as we are much more than just how
we look.
With hard work and dedication to her passion, and an excellent coach, Paul Wylie, Megan is making
progress in her physical rehabilitation and can skate again. Now one side is weaker than the other and arthritis is growing throughout her spine making skating much more challenging. I have seen her skill level improve
greatly in just the few months I have watched her skate. This coming year she hopes she can finally go to showcase nationals and I believe she has the heart and the drive to make it happen! She also wants to become part
of the Magic On Ice Show in Las Vegas later this year.
Creativity drives Megan’s style. Megan loves expression using her body and is influenced by things in
her life and art. She has 13 tattoos, one of which is her cat, and five body piercings. As an adult, Megan enjoys
the flexibility of wearing wigs and changing up her look from day to day. She has fun with her own style and
turns heads for all the right reasons! She has a vibrant red wig, which is one of my favorites! It makes her skin
look so smooth and milky. Her dark brown wig makes her look more mysterious and sultry and leaves me wandering what is she really thinking. Now she embraces herself for who she is inside and out, which is miles apart
from the way she as made to feel about herself as a child.
As you can see from the photographs of Megan, she is very beautiful physically. I have witnessed the
princess treatment first hand. People stop in their tracks when she is in public. It is quite comical to me. Then
they whisper to each other and ask “who is that?” They think she must be famous or a movie star or something.
She has that “star” quality and people notice her. This is a very different reality for her than growing up, but this
www.simplyelevate.com
29