A New Online Photo Project Helps Women Face Their Body Issues
Photo: Neringa Rekasiute
Fat shaming. Skinny shaming. Bulimia. Anorexia. Aging. Women around the world lead very different lives, but if there’s one thing they all have in common it is the constant pressure of maintaining a seemingly perfect physique. “The standardized beauty cult is especially strong in Lithuanian society and media,” says Neringa Rekasiute, one of three women who produced an online photography project called “We. Women” that tackles these struggles. The series features 12 black and white portraits of Lithuanian women stripped down in their underwear, scars and all, while looking at their reflection in a mirror. Beata Tiskevic, a well-known actress in Lithuania, put a call out on her Facebook page for women to send their stories, and along with Rekasiute, a photographer, and communications specialist Modesta Kairyte, combed through the submissions to select a dozen females whose stories were emblematic of women’s issues at large. “Media tends to sell the perfect woman image which is one dimensional and usually photoshopped,” says Kairyte, “We are perfect, with all our stories, scars, and experiences.”
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Rekasiute wanted to capture the first moment the women glanced into the mirror. Interestingly, some women were not able to look at themselves, others took a shy peek at their reflection or shielded their faces behind their hair. Very few were able to stand up straight and smile proudly. “Imagine how much energy is released once women accept their bodies,” Rekasiute said, “they can achieve so much during that time!”
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The project was widely praised in Lithuania and has since garnered attention around the world. And rightfully so. “Beata and I wanted to bring the natural and real bodies of ordinary women back into the public light,” says Rekasiute, “there is so much more to women than her appearance! I am wishing for a day we don’t need to talk about it anymore.”
Photo: Neringa Rekasiute
Photo: Neringa Rekasiute
Photo: Neringa Rekasiute
Photo: Neringa Rekasiute
Photo: Neringa Rekasiute