Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Perky, saggy, big or small, it doesn't matter!

Last week some time I saw a segment on the Today Show about this photographer in New York City that did a book of photographs of topless women in everyday situations in the city. I found his insights and reasons for doing it interesting so I looked up the book on his website. The following is an excerpt from the book.

In her foreword, author Susan Seligson states what all men and women already know: "Breasts are an inexplicably big deal." Whether hidden under layers of clothing, half-revealed in the service of fashion (and flirtation) or laid brazenly bare, breasts matter. They demand response, provoke moral questions and force confrontation with the very notion of taboo.

Over a period of six years, Jordan Matter photographed over 100 women bare-breasted in New York City. They varied in terms of age, education and profession. Every one was a volunteer. Every subject faced reactions to her decision to defy convention, and many confronted feelings of shame and inadequacy. But after the shoots, the women were unexpectedly euphoric—and Matter wondered just what he had uncovered.
Many of the women agreed to interviews or wrote their own texts for this collection, revealing their journeys toward self-acceptance. The result is a remarkable chorus of shared experience, secret fears, optimism and wisdom. Uncovered celebrates the controversial female body. But it also honors the individual women who were willing to confront their culture and themselves. These are their images and their stories, in their own words.

This is the segment from the Today Show. You should check it out. You can also go to his website to see the book. Some of the images are awesome and can really make you think differently about how we as women see our bodies. These women were brave enough to laugh in the face of societal pressures to be perfect and young, thin and perky. They were willing to put their imperfections out there for all to see even if they were uncomfortable with them.

2 comments:

Molly said...

Thanks for sharing that! I totally want to purchase the book. Thought provoking and inspirational.

Emily said...

thanks for the links!