Bullied, she cried herself to sleep — until a photographer showed her she was beautiful

Gil Smart | Treasure Coast Newspapers

Show Caption Hide Caption Kindness, confidence bestowed on Stuart family after bullying of daughter Chiropractor Brian Moriarty's stepdaughter, Paige Beams, 13, was being bullied at school. Fellow parent and photographer Lindsey Potter responded.

Sometimes I don't like Facebook. Sometimes I think it does more to divide us than bring us together.

But sometimes it really does live up to its promise and makes the world a better place.

The story of how Paige Beams went from bullied to modeling beauty is definitely one of those times.

A year ago, Paige was crying herself to sleep every night. She was a seventh-grader at David L. Anderson Middle School, where one of her classmates made her life a nightmare.

"He called me the ugliest creature on earth," said Paige. It happened every day. And Paige, who dreamed of being a model, began to internalize the bullying. She was beginning to think the boy was right.

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As grades fell, Paige's mom and stepdad, Laura and Brian Moriarty of Stuart, brought the matter to the attention of school officials. But ultimately there was little the school could do. The bullying continued.

"We think our daughter is beautiful," said Brian Moriarty. "We were frustrated."

So one day in October 2017, Brian took to Facebook and posted in the group Stuart Moms.

"Some kids feel the need to put others down to make themselves feel better," wrote Brian. "You might be thinking, 'It can't be my child.' But it has to be someone's! If you're reading this, have a chat with your children to make sure they aren't putting others down. Make sure that they are the beacon of light in our community. And make sure that they also aren't getting put down. The school can only do so much ... it's up to us to raise our children right."

Boom. Some 534 people reacted; 77 commented, expressing their dismay and offering kind words.

But one person who saw the post thought she could do a little more.

Lindsey Potter is a Stuart photographer and herself the mother of a middle-school daughter. Her heart broke a little when she read Brian's post.

"You can just imagine your own child in that position," said Potter.

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But she knew her camera could help mend Paige's fractured self-esteem and help the girl see herself in a different light. So she messaged Brian: Would Paige be interested in a free, confidence-boosting photo shoot?

That is — would Paige be interested in a little modeling?

Well. You can guess the answer.

And it's not hyperbole to say that photo shoot, on Oct. 30, 2017, changed everything.

The pics turned out fantastic, showing Paige as the beautiful young woman she is. Kate Black, a makeup artist and friend of Potter's, helped ready Paige for the shoot, which took place at Stuart Rocks and Bathtub Reef beaches.

"We talked about bullying," said Potter. She told Paige not to let the mean kids get her down.

The words helped. But when Paige saw the pics, it was like she was seeing herself for the first time, through the lens — the beautiful young woman her parents (and really, anyone with eyes) always saw.

Brian hopped back on Facebook and provided an update to the Stuart Moms group, which exploded — 508 comments, all of which could be boiled down to one word: Awesome!

But the story doesn't end here.

Several months passed and Potter was preparing to work on a photo assignment for Walker&Wade, a Connecticut-based women's clothier whose products are available in boutiques worldwide — including Matilda's in downtown Stuart.

"We had a few models lined up," said Potter. But then the client started scrolling through the Lindsey Potter Photography Instagram feed and came across the photos of Paige.

"Is she local?" the client asked Potter. "Can we get her?"

"She has such beautiful, soulful eyes," said the client.

Those eyes filled with tears when Potter called Paige. A real modeling job.

The shoot took place at River Palm Cottages in Jensen Beach late last month — Oct. 30, 2018, exactly one year after Paige's "confidence" shoot.

"That was literally the happiest day of my life," said Paige.

"She cried," said her stepdad, Brian. Who — to the accolades of the virtual crowd — posted this latest triumph in the Stuart Moms Facebook group as well.

Paige hopes to parlay the shoot into something more. She learned some life lessons — "It does matter what you say to people," she said. "What you say can really hurt somebody."

But now, as an eighth-grader, that ugly duckling — who, let's be clear, was only ever "ugly" in the eyes of the butthead classmate — has traded places with a swan.

Oh, and the classmate? "He's not even in our school anymore," said Paige.

Bonus.

Mom and dad are thrilled. "I could have reacted in anger," said Brian of that original Facebook post that started it all. "But I tried to be a little more positive."

And Potter used that word, "positive," too. She doesn't seek accolades for it, but what she did for Paige she's done for others, too. Moms with breast cancer, for example; beautiful images of people who may not feel beautiful.

The camera, after all, doesn't lie. It reveals.

"And when you see pictures like that," said Potter, "it can really make a positive difference."

Gil Smart is a TCPalm columnist and a member of the Editorial Board. His columns reflect his opinion. Readers may reach him at gil.smart@tcpalm.com, by phone at 772-223-4741 or via Twitter at @TCPalmGilSmart.