Zine Project 1 & Artist Statement

When I created this project I held the intention of inclusivity high on my priority list. I wanted more than anything to create a piece on body positivity, but I knew I wanted my overall message to be a bit more specific than that. So often society diminishes us to numbers, and so often we let those numbers define our worth. We place so much of our self image - whether that be positive or negative - upon these numbers. These numbers come in many aspects of our lives: counting the amount of calories you consume (or burn), the number of inches on a measuring tape, your age, the weight on the scale, the number on the tag of every piece of clothing you wear. I wanted to create a piece that showed a diverse spectrum of women's bodies and expressed their beauty. I wanted to show my audience that despite all the numbers, you admire the beauty in all these bodies, hoping that would allow everyone to see their own beauty. I left the faces without features, hoping this might make my pieces more relatable to those who see a body represented that might look like theirs, so they can see that they are art. Inclusivity is what I strived to achieve, so I wanted to represent not only a variety of body types, but also skin tones, hair, ability, and motherhood status. I started with my first page spread intending to be shocking - having the contrast of a common beloved food surrounded by toxic motivation posts from the internet and frequent comments many women hear throughout their life that often fuels an unhealthy relationship with food. I took those quotes directly from things women in my life shared with me from what they heard growing up. Following those pages, I wanted every image to be showcasing diverse beauty supported by positive body affirmations. I was hoping by doing this I could do my part to break down beauty standards and the need to conform. Beauty comes in all forms, and it is certainly not a number. Every woman is beautiful, and every woman deserves to see that beauty and treat her body with love and respect.