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Photographer Mehmet Genç travels the world snapping pictures of all the interesting people he meets. But it's not always an easy job.

Genç and one of his subjects. All photos by Mehmet Genç used with permission.

"If you go to remote place, usually people there are not relaxed when taking photo of them," he said in an email. He asks his subjects to smile, to loosen up, but often they won't, at least not right away. It takes time to earn their trust and build comfort with them, he says.

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Family

How a DIY dress helped one woman reclaim the power words had on her body.

'We should all be able to celebrate and love ourselves without fear of criticism from others, whatever shape or size we are.'

News flash: Words have power. This is something Jojo Oldham knows all too well.

Whether you're a soap star hearing lewd comments made by a politician 10 years ago or the average woman getting catcalled on her way home from work, what other people have to say about your body leave a lasting impression.

Over Oldham's 31 years of existence, she's received countless comments about her body — both good and bad.

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Family

A comic explains the screwed-up reason people complimented this girl for being sick.

'Health comes in lots of sizes. Beauty comes in many forms.'

In the world of body compliments, there's an unfortunate pairing that still exists:

"You look great — have you lost weight?"

The seed of dieting was planted in America back in the 1830s by a minister named Sylvester Graham. He suggested eating a simple grain diet would encourage health and temper libidos, while a fatty diet would encourage sinful behavior. It marked the beginning of fad diets in America, which would eventually lead to an unhealthy focus on slenderizing.

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These compliments have everything to do with who your kids are, not just what they've done.

I’ve always been proud of my children, just like any other parent.

When they were little, I was always praising them for good behavior and cooperation. When they started school and academics, music and sports became their main focus, and they made me proud in a number of ways with their achievements, hard work, and performance.

Photo via iStock.

But we all know that life isn’t just about what you do. The most precious moments are rarely related to merit or athletic prowess. Instead, character is built in the moments when we see a kid's integrity, compassion, and dignity grow and shine.

But whenever I look back, I realize that what makes me most proud of my kids has nothing to do with their most obvious and impressive accomplishments.

We have many report cards, team photos, trophies, and certificates of merit by which to remember all of those things.

Instead, I remember other things, like the first time they helped someone who was hurt or watching them make courageous choices. And I wish I’d been more specific about praising my kids for those things.

Photo via iStock.

Here are 21 things to compliment your kids about that involve their character, not their achievements:

The first time they help someone who is hurt.
Seeing them stand up for a sibling or friend.
The first time they buy a gift with their own money.
When a child is loving and kind to older relatives.
The first time they are buried in a book.
The first time they realize a song has touched their soul.
When they learn to appreciate art.
When they make the best of a bad day on their own.
The first time a child shows compassion and puts others first.
The first time a child shows mercy and gives someone another chance.
The first time your child genuinely roots for a weaker teammate.
Hearing them offer sincere advice to a sibling or friend.
The first time they take the time to teach a younger child.
When they realize how important friendships are.
The first time they find moral issue with something and take a stand against it.
Their first heartfelt attempt at asking for forgiveness.
The first time they wholeheartedly forgive.
The first time a child tries something new when the odds are against them.
When they know they’re marching to their own beat and they are proud of that.
Not just trying, but trying again and again.
The first time they accept rejection with grace and dignity.

These are the things you often can’t capture on paper or in photos.

When cameras are put away, when there are no grades to strive for, and when there are no coaches or teammates around, the most precious defining moments take place.

Photo via iStock.

I want my children to know that I care about these things — the people they are, not just the things they do.

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Remember back in 2008 when Obama said he disagreed with John McCain, but would always honor his military service?

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images.

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compliments

Photographer Mehmet Genç travels the world snapping pictures of all the interesting people he meets. But it's not always an easy job.

Right then and there, the project "You Are So Beautiful" was born, with Genç traveling the world trying to capture the joy people experience in the exact moment they receive a genuine compliment.

1. A woman from Xela in Guatemala.

2. A 70-year-old Ecuadorian woman.

3. Margarita, 74, also from Ecuador.

4. A woman from the mountains of Colombia.

5. A young girl in a small Colombian village.

6. A woman from a Guatemalan village called Santa Maria.

7. Iwan-eva, a native of the Amazon region in Brazil.

8. A 17-year-old girl from Brazil's Amazon region.

9. An 88-year-old from the town of Atalaia do Norte in Brazil.

10. And Zarek, a 77-year-old native Arhuaco woman from Colombia.

Genç says the response to his project has been overwhelmingly positive, with many people wanting to recreate it themselves.

'We should all be able to celebrate and love ourselves without fear of criticism from others, whatever shape or size we are.'

News flash: Words have power. This is something Jojo Oldham knows all too well.

After years of letting these words affect how she sees herself, however, Oldham was finally ready to release them and embrace herself.

"The love I have for my body these days is something I've had to learn. And it requires constant maintenance," Oldham wrote on her website.

The dress is a badge of honor, symbolic of the fact that, while Oldham may have been called these things, she is not defined by them.

"Once I learned how to be happy with myself as I am, the negative things that other people said about my body just stopped mattering to me," Oldham explained.

Comments can do serious damage to even the strongest, most self-confident people. Oldham hopes her dress will help curtail some of that damage.

'Health comes in lots of sizes. Beauty comes in many forms.'

In the world of body compliments, there's an unfortunate pairing that still exists:

These compliments have everything to do with who your kids are, not just what they've done.

I’ve always been proud of my children, just like any other parent.

But whenever I look back, I realize that what makes me most proud of my kids has nothing to do with their most obvious and impressive accomplishments.

Here are 21 things to compliment your kids about that involve their character, not their achievements:

These are the things you often can’t capture on paper or in photos.

Remember back in 2008 when Obama said he disagreed with John McCain, but would always honor his military service?

We know that mean language weakens people's faith in the system, which isn't great.

But what would happen if, instead of criticizing your opponent, you complimented them?

Unfortunately, we're not likely to see Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump getting all buddy-buddy.

One of the most interesting things about politics is how it lets us see human nature played out on a national stage.