Photographer captures mothers beautifully raw, breaking down walls and stereotypes

The Honest Body Project, motherhood untouched!

Photographer Natalie McCain is on a mission, a mission to unite women, enlighten the public and heal hearts and minds.  All mothers are beautiful though not all feel beautiful.  Natalie’s changing all of that!

The Honest Body Project captures women and their emotional stories of birth, pregnancy and beauty.  The resulting photos might shock you.  From plus-size to bottle feeding, cesarean scars to still-births, Natalie’s models are turning heads and changing lives.

About The Honest Body Project

“Join me on a journey to self love and put an end to shaming your body.  As women, we judge ourselves harder than anyone else ever will.  Our bodies are strong, capable, wonderful and amazing things… but we still aren’t happy when we look in the mirror.  Having children changes our body in ways we never expect.  This change is BEAUTIFUL.  Appreciate your stretch marks, they show you grew a child inside you.  Embrace the once tight and now loose skin, it shows you birthed this amazing child. Love your postpartum breasts, they show your body created milk to nourish your child.  LOVE YOURSELF.

I want to give a voice to women to share whatever is in their heart.  I will not edit their stories.  What you read comes directly from the woman in the portrait.  These women are strong, amazing, brave and inspirational. Thank you to everyone who gives me the honor of photographing them.” – Natalie McCain, The Honest Body Project

It only takes a spark!
When Natalie first told me about her vision and goals for creating the project I knew it was going to be a hit.  Within days of launching her project and sharing photos of her first models, people nationwide began to sit up and take notice.   Celebrities began following and re-tweeting The Honest Body Project,  local and national media outlets showed interest in covering The Honest Body Project, and within the first month or so Natalie was already being interviewed on live television and for local and online news outlets.

Have photographers captured post-partum bodies before?  Sure.  Natalie’s ideas involved sharing women’s stories in addition to their photos, each picture giving you a glimpse inside her heart and soul.  A sort of Humans of New York but featuring only women and their children.  Her project is unique and she puts a lot of work into it.  She hopes to inspire fellow photographers to find their own vision and take on or create their own body positive projects in other cities, states and countries.  The more we can share true stories and photographs of real women the more impact we can make in people’s lives.

My favorites!
With Natalie’s permission I will share with you below some of my favorites from her series.

Breast vs. bottle.  A subject at the very epicenter of most mommy wars.  Natalie captures the beauty and intimacy of bottle feeding.

Plus size moms.  Raw stories from a mother criticized for her weight.  All pregnant moms are beautiful and deserve to be made to feel so, no matter their size or weight.

Post-partum images from a mother who’s child was still-born.  A heartbreaking and emotional glimpse at what it would be like to have a a body that reflects you gave birth yet you have no baby to show for it.

Beautiful breastfeeding.  Untouched images of a mother tandem nursing.

 

For more on The Honest Body Project please visit the website and galleries here.  On Facebook please visit The Honest Body Project here and LIKE the page.