One of the most jarring elements of the modeling industry is the way that the models–and specifically female models–are viewed as simply bodies. Models are seen as people shaped objects that wear clothes, appear in magazines and put themselves on display for the camera. Generally speaking, there is little to no interest in showing who the models really are, what they like (or don’t like) or what they feel most passionately about. Or, to put it another way, no one seems to care about all the things that make the models unique, human and beautiful.
Even the Summer’s Real Woman Project is a series that is borne of this frustration. We recognize that beauty is not limited to 6’0″ tall models who weigh 105 pounds, those women who appear in fashion magazines or in the media on a daily basis. Beautiful people are everywhere and we want to find, highlight and celebrate these real, beautiful women.
For this series, we will do a short photo shoot to create a collection of images in the style of the images seen in different magazines. We will then do an accompanying behind-the-scenes video where the model/real woman will talk about her life, her passions and her beliefs, focus on how the model is preparing for her shoot, doing after the shoot, as well as video of what makes her body unique and special to her. We are going to capture a three-dimensional portrayal of the model: mind, body and spirit. For a change, viewers will finally have context surrounding the images that they see and an appreciation for why there is no exact way that women ‘should’ look. And that context is rather beautiful indeed.
Even the Summer is looking for women who embrace their bodies and are interested in blurring the boundaries of how beauty should be perceived to participate in our Real Woman Project. If you’d like to be a part of our Real Woman Project, email Madeleine Harper at Simply Madeleine Harper at gmail dot com.