Did you know...

Only 2 percent of women around the world think of themselves as beautiful.

Four out of five women are dissatisfied with their image.

Too often, women are bombarded with social and cultural misconceptions about beauty. They are fed skewed Photoshopped images that don't portray reality. This leads to a personal flawed perception which define our definition of beauty.

Women feel good about themselves when they respect, appreciate and accept their bodies. Our bodies are what sustain life, carry and pass down our heritage, and where our heart and soul radiate from.

As mothers, daughters, sisters and girlfriends we must stand united to counteract the ill effects of false advertising and cultural biases. Let us model a state of being which is the beauty that radiates self acceptance, self assurance, self love, inspiration and strength by applying these four principles to a more beautiful you: stretch, feast, live and love.

Stretch
Stretching is essential to a good emotional, intellectual and spiritual fitness plan. Stretch your way of thinking, stretch your spirituality, stretch your emotions, make room for more so you may live a fulfilled life. Go the distance, try something new, embrace change, welcome adversity.

Feast
Feast on good works, good books, good music, good people. Surround yourself with those things that are uplifting and promote growth. Develop a hobby, take a college course, serve in your community, read good books.

Live
Live to be true to yourself and others. Be genuine. Be optimistic. Believe in yourself. Invest wisely in your friends - friends who will be there through thick and thin. Live honestly, live with synergy and interdependence. Embrace your vision and move forward with your mission. Live one day at a time and don't forget to stop, look and listen.

Love
The greatest thing that one can do is love. Be kind. Be compassionate. Serve someone in need. A good measure of love is the amount of time that is spent with one self or a loved one.

To some, boudoir photography may be stretching it a little but through this beautiful art form, Portrait Elegance by Maureen is helping women love themselves and feel beautiful. We help women redefine and reshape how they perceive their self image and their bodies by providing tangible evidence of their specialness and radiant beauty through photographic images.

For more information on Intimate Portraits: The Art of Maureen Benoit call 476-9772 or
818-701-5001 or visit www.intimateportraitsbymaureen.com.

Joshua Abramson

photography by Ted Dayton

President: Joshua Abramson
Business Manager: Teresa Phillips

How did you determine the name of your business?
I first started my business at age 19. We struggled financially as my mom, a single parent, tried to raise two children with the assistance of welfare. My grandfather started a drapery dry cleaning company in the early '60s called A.Allbright Draperies. Once he saw that I was serious about my business and how difficult it was for me using my mom's home number to do business, he let me use his office number, where his people answered the phone all day long. They would page me with my incoming calls. We were never the same business; I just became known as A.Allbright because that's how they answered the phone.

What inspired you to go into this business?
Growing up, I was scared that no one was going to take care of me. I didn't have anyone to fall back on. I didn't like the idea of going to work for someone and them being in control of my future. I was a creative person and I needed to work somewhere that inspired me.

What's the coolest service that you offer?
A.Allbright has color consultants that can help with design questions and needs. A trained color consultant knows how to deal with issues like space; interior or exterior considerations; lighting and architectural detailing; and a client's preferences and prejudices to colors. Combining this information with the knowledge of color chemistry, the color consultant can then help select colors that meet their criteria.

What does the future hold for your business?
We are currently developing our own unique colors that we can offer exclusively to our clients. We are working with truly the best in the world - experts that have created colors for Ralph Lauren, Martha Stewart, Farrow & Ball and others.

What would we never guess about you?
I created an estimating tool that helps painting contractors around the nation be more efficient and accurate. It's called One Step Estimating and is an easy-to-use software that works with Microsoft Word and Excel to automatically type accurate painting proposals, agreements and field work orders. The software works with a tablet PC computer to turn their
handwritten notes into professional documents.

For more information on A.Allbright Painting, call 294-1159 or visit www.aallbright.com.