A friend of mine runs a popular style blog called Frenemom. Recently, she published a post titled “Naked Cell Phone Pictures.”

I joked with her that she was just trying to get her site traffic up.

“That didn’t come close to my most popular post,” she said.

What was her most popular post?

“The one where I posted fat pictures of myself.”

(She had an INFANT at the time. She wasn’t fat, she was postpartum.)

Either way, my mind keeps going back to this story.

Why is her “fat” story her most popular post?

Is it mean-spiritedness? Good old-fashioned schadenfreude?

Or is it because in this post, she reveals a side of herself (ourselves) most of us would want to hide from the world.

I’d argue for the second.

In “Mrs. AA’s” signature tone, she writes:

“I have read countless articles asserting that the birth of a child is a time when a woman realizes that there is someone more important than her in life and that she should now take a back seat to the upbringing of this child. Screw that.

What I realized was that it was finally time to put me first. Because if I didn’t, my little lady would see a mother who worried about what others thought of her and lived life by a script rather than a mother who embraced what was important and was incredibly happy in her own life.

Obviously I wanted my daughter to be well cared for and showered with love and affection, but I also wanted to show her that it is entirely possible not to be a fat, nutso, sweatpants-wearing “mom” type while doing it. The fog had lifted.  The bitch was back.”

And so there it is. Her “why.” The depth behind this woman’s incredible wardrobe, stunning closet, and overall fab-seeming lifestyle.

Seeing our style maven down and out makes us feel closer to her. It brings depth to a subject some might write off as frivolous. Even though we might not be able to travel the world, carry  $1,500 handbags and dress ourselves out of a closet the size of a Manhattan apartment, we can have fun watching her do it — and learn a few things along the way.

What does this have to do with you?

Most of us are writing to further our businesses. We are writing to establish our expertise and professionalism. We are writing to gain our reader’s trust. So showing a less-than side of ourselves seems counter intuitive and even detrimental to our “brands.”

Today I challenge you to challenge that thinking.

Mrs. AA concludes,

Today, because of the encouragement of my own mother and support of my husband, I have started Frenemom. It may not bring me much money or fame, but it brings me so much more. A sense of self, a sense of pride and a sense of humor. What more can a girl ask for?  (Okay, I admit it. I still want thinner thighs.)

Writing prompt

What part of your story could reveal that would build more trust, more understanding, and more connection between you and your readers?

Give it a try. Write it out even if you have no intentions of ever sharing it. See what happens.

And if you want someone to help you find the right balance, you know where to find me.

(By the way, my friend didn’t actually post naked photos of herself.)