I Am a Fat Woman
All bodies should be a safe space for self-expression and to experience unending comfort. But today’s societal expectations often limit people from exploring this without feeling judged. This project is for the girl who was afraid of disappointing her parents because of how she chose to present herself. It’s for the girl who exists outside the dominant female standards of beauty. It’s for the girl who longs to feel at home in her own skin and celebrate her unique body in all forms.
I Am a Fat Woman is an exploration of my identity through images that glorify my presence. With these photographs, I explore various aspects of my physical form using fabric textures, each chosen deliberately to evoke specific emotions or sensations.
As I come of age in a world where “plus size” has been stigmatized; where unrealistic beauty standards and the over-sexualization of how a woman should act and dress are the norm, I am reevaluating what I have been conditioned to see and feel about who I am. With my camera, the very tool that for so many years has objectified, reduced, and critiqued women, I am investigating what it means to be a body-positive woman in the twenty-first century. I am reconstructing the term 'fat' to promote acceptance and defy societal stigma, encouraging individuals to embrace their bodies without shame or judgment.
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