Looking through Jade Beall's photos from the Beautiful Body Project stirs many emotions for me. Joy, love, respect, hope, are a few all balled up in one big lump in my throat. The beauty of them makes my heart soar, my gut tighten, and my eyes water. Everytime. I love them, and want to plaster them all over my house. They are a reminder of what true beauty is.
Everyday as women we are fed an idea of what beauty is; a plastic, polished, unattainable version of what we should look like, but never can.
Jade Beall's work is like a breath of fresh air. My heart sighs when I look through her photographs. This is beauty. The scars, stretch marks, cellulite, saggy breasts and loose tummy's are apart of us. They are real and tell a part of our story.
Like the scar on my left knee from running, jumping, dancing, skipping, and years of playing hard and joyfully.
The chicken pox scars from when I had THE worst case of chicken pox when I was twelve, and my baby brother who also had chicken pox at the same time as me, but only had four spots that lasted a few days and were gone.
The tattoos that I got when I was 15, 16 and 18, telling me of where I was at that time in my life.
The stretch marks on my thighs and belly from growing three beautiful lives inside me.
The saggy breasts from feeding and nourishing my children.
These are all me, and are beautiful. I wouldn't change them or give them up for anything in the world. They tell the story of where I have been and set the foundation of where I can go.
Jade's mission with the Beautiful Body project is "To Inspire Women Around The World To Feel Beautiful Just As You Are Through A Series Of Books & A New Media Platform Free From Digital Augmentation, Focusing On Your Inspiring Stories About Your Bodies. "
The Beautiful Body Project is supported by crowd funding. Jade does the photoshoots for free, with the funding going towards creating the book and further volumes.
I love this quote from the site:
A Beautiful Body project is movement of women coming together to tell their stories and celebrate their ever-changing bodies so that future generations of women can live free from self-suffering.
I love it! I love it all, and strongly encourage you to visit A Beautiful Body Project's page and scroll through the photos to see the beauty for yourself.
You can also visit Jade Beall's website to see more of her work.
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