(Posted May 3, 2016)

"It just came to me," said senior Doriana Hymen about her inspiration behind her photography project #IAmMe. Hymen invited students to participate in anonymous one-on-one modeling sessions, but unlike most modeling sessions, she asked her participants to select their least favorite body part to put on display. This unconventional art campaign addresses body positivity in a unique way that allows students to accept their flaws and insecurities.

"I've had my own body image issues. I don't think there are many people who haven't," said Hymen. Almost everyone has insecurities, and Hymen wanted to bring attention to, rather than hide them and challenges other students to do the same. Wendy Briggs, senior and model for #IAmMe, chose to participate to show others that it's okay to have insecurities. "It's not pressuring you to feel like you have to like everything about yourself," said Briggs.

"We hide what we don't like about ourselves, but when you're taking these pictures, there's no hiding," said Rina Kirsch, freshman and model for #IAmMe. The model's faces are left out of the photos, and once it is taken there is no way to identify the model. Hymen asks the model to choose their favorite color as the backdrop, and if they want, to choose a quote ahead of time which will be written on their chosen body part with eyeliner. "This is focused on not so much what you look like but what you do," said Briggs. Even if we may not love every part of our bodies, we can still appreciate them.

Hymen recruited models from every department, year, and gender, but she had the most trouble finding male participants. "In general, men are taught to repress their feelings," said Hymen. She hopes to address this issue through her work and to show that everyone has insecurities about their bodies, and that can be unifying.

"We all have things we don't like about ourselves," said Kirsch, "and that's okay." We are all our harshest critics, and our insecurities may even go unnoticed by those around us. Hymen said, "We might not like everyone about ourselves but we're all beautiful." She hopes to bring out the beauty in her models where they might not see it themselves.

Hymen hopes to continue her inspirational work in the future as either a project that she continues in a studio or as a social media movement. "I hope people realize that it's okay not to be like celebrities and models," said Hymen. Modeling our insecurities for an infinite audience like social media seems intimidating to most, but Hymen wants people to acknowledge their flaws and accept them. "You can focus on things that make you happy when you accept yourself," said Hymen.

Laura Snyder '18, Juniata Online Journalist

Our readers respond...

Be the first to provide a response.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.