TOKYO-2016

Silent Voices - Bodies

  • Photographer
    Marinka Masséus

‘Silent Voices – Bodies’ is a series of nudes with real women and real bodies to show how beautiful they are. As part of the project, I ask them to write a short text about how they feel about their bodies. It is often heartbreaking to read it. How women are made to feel, even at a very young age, that their bodies aren’t beautiful but something to be ashamed of. A woman's relationship with her body is constantly influenced by outside forces. The constant stream of photoshopped and unattainable images combined with the cultural emphasis on beauty as a woman's worth, deeply affect women's body image and self worth. Recent studies in the US show that 78% of 17 year old girls are unhappy with their physical appearance. Social media combined with the aforementioned stream of images are mayor contributing factors. This series reflects on a woman's desire to be seen, inseparably coupled with her simultaneous impulse to hide herself.