My chest is the best”...but so are all the rest: An exploration of body positivity in ALL women

FEMINISM

In 2020, we are hyper-aware of the world around us - both social and physical. Thanks to figures such as Jameela Jamil, Serena Williams, Laverne Cox and many more, the social world around us is buzzing with talk of body positivity and the want to express how we feel. Being happy within yourself can play a major part in your overall state of being and we should all be able to feel content in our own skin. With this in mind, I created a short photo series highlighting the things that the people around me love about themselves. It’s easy to find flaws in the way you look, but we should remind ourselves that there’s always something to love, even if you can’t see it right away. I sat down with these four models and opened up a conversation about body positivity and together they decided, and helped each other, pick something about themselves that they love - and here are the results. These images capture this idea and serve as a reminder to ourselves that we are all beautiful in our own way.

‘My favourite state of being is laughing, so that’s why I picked my smile. During my teenage years when I had braces, I felt awkward about smiling or laughing too much. Now I’m in my twenties, even if I still had braces, I wouldn’t care.’

‘My favourite part about myself is my hair. I love how it is naturally, but I also like how versatile it is. Over the years I’ve had many insecurities, but I’ve always been happy with my hair.’

- Sarah Ahmad, 20.

‘I have always been insecure of my body but as I have grown older, I began to love the parts of myself which made me most self-conscious when I was younger. That’s why I wanted to choose a part of myself which makes me feel good about the way I look. It is not always easy to love yourself, but learning to stop being a voice of criticism for myself, and instead choosing to be one of empowerment, has been one of my proudest achievements.’

- Daisy Williamson, 21.

‘I’ve always been self conscious of my freckles and when I was growing up I would always wish I had clear skin like everyone else. People would say that they made me unique but all I thought was that they made me uglier. It’s only now that I’m older that I’ve realised that they do make me different and not in a bad way. That’s why I chose my freckles because it shows that something you used to be so insecure about can become one of your favourite parts of yourself. ‘

- Caoive Eileen-Callanan Kelsey, 20.

IMAGES BY GEORGIA HUNT