We’ve all been there. You plan the moment. You blow up the balloons, pick the perfect cake, and press play on a playlist you made weeks ago. You imagine laughter, clinking glasses, messy frosting fingers, and memories being made.
And then… no one shows up.
Pity Party, photographed by @kalialexsis and starring teen model Alaina, is a raw and unapologetically emotional editorial that flips the script on celebration. This isn’t your average birthday shoot — it’s a glitter-drenched ode to disappointment, isolation, and the uncomfortable truth that sometimes we pour our hearts into people or moments… and they don’t pour back.
With pink candles still lit and fists full of cake, Alaina sits at the head of her own table — part heartbreak, part power move. Her expression is equal parts numb, annoyed, and deeply over it. The party hat is still on, the confetti still sparkles, but it’s not joy in her eyes. It’s defiance. It’s “I showed up anyway.”
Every photo oozes contrast — from the saccharine sweetness of rainbow sprinkles and pastel balloons to the biting emptiness of a celebration with no guests. It’s moody, a little messy, and entirely relatable. In a world obsessed with perfection and filtered happiness, Pity Party gives space to the feelings we’re often told to hide. It says: it’s okay to be disappointed. It’s okay to feel forgotten. And it’s more than okay to still eat the cake.
Daffodil Magazine proudly features not only children, but teens — those who are navigating the complicated middle ground between growing up and holding on. Alaina’s editorial is a reminder that fashion can be storytelling, styling can carry meaning, and beauty doesn’t always need to smile.
Sometimes, the most powerful party is the one you throw for yourself — even if no one else shows up.
