3 minute read
Rock Your Ugly
The Winter Fashion Issue '21
Written by: CRISTINA DEPTULA
Rock Your Ugly
UAE photographer Waleed Shah's collection thumbs its nose at beauty standards
Waleed Shah, an United Arab Emirateschemical engineerturned photographer who has worked with Nike, Toyota, and Patron Tequila, released a new collection earlier this year, Rock Your Ugly: A Middle Finger to Toxic Beauty Standards.
This series includes black and white pictures of over 50 men and women and zeroes in on parts of their body that might otherwise make them insecure. Each photographic subject shares a story about their experience with their body.
Shah’s first photographic subjects were models whom he had to convince to take part. However, as time passed and he spread the word, people began contacting him asking to be photographed. He reflects on how he named the campaign.
The stories highlight mental health issues. Shah believes the anxiety and depression that body insecurity can cause are very real health problems, just as real as diabetes or cancer. Constantly seeing airbrushed and filtered images of people online only makes these problems worse, and Shah pushes back against the trend of ‘perfect’ images with his book.
Participants’ experiences include injuries and illnesses such as cancer, eating disorders, alopecia, and vitiligo, as well as chronic health conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome that can lead to being overweight.
Some also discuss colorism, the racist idea that lighter skin is more beautiful. Others have dealt with self-harm, child abuse, and drug addiction. One woman in particular speaks eloquently about being victim blamed and shamed for surviving assault.
He would love to see more mainstream media representation in the Arab world about diverse and real human bodies and accepting yourself and others the way we are. As Shah says
People have responded very positively to this project. People in it talk about a sense of relief and a weight of their shoulders having come off with the story. People who read it mostly relate although the stories are quite diverse because we all suffer more or less from the same issues. There are a few people who get offended by the imagery thinking it’s sexual exploitation but once they dig deeper they change their mind.
Read more at https://issuu.com/rareluxuryliving/docs/winter_fashion_issue_2021_full_pages/136
