On the 9th of March 2022

6 gorgeous mum’s who had never met one another stood united proudly holding hands naked next to one another as the sense of freedom coursed through them. Since this day these 6 women have made an impact on their own beliefs and self worth in their body image to normalize the changed body after growing a human being and accepting its glory. We are all different, we are all unique and beautiful in our own ways but forth and foremost we are the Centre of someone else’s world, our children’s! They see us, feel how we feel.  This project is all about accepting our bodies after this change as we are reborn as mother’s and also showing our children that its ok to embrace this body it did such an amazing thing to grow a tiny being and then nourish it also its worth celebrating and getting your cheer squad to celebrate alongside you.

Here are 6 mother’s from last year who embarked on this incredible experience with me and this is how they felt!

DANELLE

FROM THE GROUP EXPERIENCE

Although I was never too negative regarding my body I still wasn’t confident in my own skin. I always hated my legs and the markings/blemishes that came with them. After two pregnancies I struggled to gain my fitness levels back and with that came the negativity regarding my post pregnancy body. The self love became harder and harder to keep. Since the photos I am feeling much more positive about myself. I am less self conscious, I care less about what others might think of me. Overall I am much more positive regarding my body and my current level of fitness. I was so scarred about the group session. I dreaded the awkward moment where we took all our clothes off and stood naked in front of complete strangers. But honestly it wasn’t scary or awkward at all. I could sense the others felt just as nervous. But once we ripped that Band-Aid off the nerves disappeared. I was completely comfortable standing with all the other ladies. At no point did I feel judged by the others only love and support. In that moment I had never felt more confident in my own skin. I felt beautiful and a massive sense of freedom as all my insecurities just melted away. I fell so much more love towards myself then before. I feel more confident, beautiful and empowered. When discussing it with others I get a sense of pride because it is also a massive achievement. I am more confident in myself. 6 months ago (at my worst) I told my self I couldn’t run 10km. That I wasn’t good enough to enter those events anymore. Now I am training for a half marathon. I had so much fun doing these sessions. I was pampered and cared for. Brooke made me feel confident, beautiful and just completely perfect the way I was. I didn’t feel like I needed to hide the parts I didn’t like because Brooke made me want to embrace them. I don’t think I would have ever done something like this with someone else. My daughter is too young to understand but I plan to make these images apart of our home. I hope that I can raise my daughter to love exactly who she is and others for who they are. I hope to raise a son with the same acceptance.

FROM THE INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE

I was never someone who was confident in my own skin. I was always self conscious and very insecure. Since becoming a mother my view/perspective has changed, especially since having my daughter. My body carried, grew, nourished and delivered two beautiful children. I want my daughter to grow up and be strong, fierce and independent. I want her to love who she Is regardless of her shape or size or what the world says she should be. Being her mother it starts with me. I will show her that it’s ok to love who you are by loving who I am. My postpartum body and all that goes with it. These photos not only capture my love for her but the confidence I now have within myself. These photos, although confronting at first, have made me feel even more confident and beautiful. I feel stronger as a women and a mother. And I pray that I can teach/show my daughter to feel the same.

AMY

FROM THE GROUP EXPERIENCE

1. How did you feel about your self image and confidence prior to starting this project with me? Like how did you view yourself and what did you always want to change about yourself?I never wanted to look in the mirror. I knew what my body had achieved in child birth and it wasn’t a bad thing to have lumps and bumps, but the stigma of bouncing back to pre pregnancy form is high in society.2. During the group photo how did you feel being surrounded by other mums that exposed all the sameness as you? Did you feel empowered? liberate? beautiful? All of the above haha did that experience change you at all and if so in what way?The closer it got the more nervous I became. Its one thing to be on show for one person, its another to be in show for a group and then another to do that in public. But I’m glad I did it, we all seemed to feed off each others vibes which made the experience so powerful.

   3. Looking back on the memories we captured, the experience of the day of the group photos and reading other mums’ beautiful comments about how you inspired them now how do you feel about your self image and confidence as to previously doing this project?

   A lot of comments talk about the courage to be seen as a “real woman” and it’s definitely something that resonates with me. Normalising different shapes and sizes certainly boosts your perspective on your own normal. It’s okay to change and grow after child birth, you created and grew these fantastic beings.

   4. Tell me about how the experience with me made you feel i.e me taking care of the hair and makeup for you, how i spoke to you, the general vibe when with me and just overall?
   
   Brooke was fantastic, I’ve never had a photoshoot where hair and makeup were included so that in itself was a breeze. She gave the best vibes and wasn’t afraid to join us to elevate any last nerves we felt.

   5. Do you think you have positively impacted your children with this experience or will it in the future?

Stepped waaaaaay outside my comfort zone and you know what, its been the most rewarding experience. In 10 yrs time as my daughter hits puberty i hope she’s able to look back and be able to accept and be okay with her changing body.

FROM THE INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE

It was important for me to have the rawness of being a mum captured. Being able to normalise being accepting of the post-pregnancy shapes.
Brooke made me feel super comfortable in my own skin. That belly or “mum pouch” carried, protected and nurtured those babies for their first 9 months of existence. Those widened hips helped bring them into this world. Those saggy breasts kept them fed and gave them comfort. Those tired eyes show the signs of sacrifice because you put your babies comfort and needs before your own.
Walking away from todays session, I feel empowered to be able to embrace my current shape. It may not be forever, I may be able to get back to some pre-pregnancy features, but its okay for it to take time.
At the end of our session Brooke and I spoke about the pressures on breastfeeding mum and our own journeys. After the birth of our second child and some feeding difficulties, I made the choice early on not to be pressured into direct feeding if it wasn’t working. I began my exclusively expressing journey from a few days old which didn’t come without its own challenges. By 12 weeks I’d built up quite a freezer stash of excess milk and it was only getting bigger. My baby was getting plenty of milk and the ‘liquid gold’ stashed in my freezer was going to go to waste. I joined the facebook group human milk 4 human babies – victoria and offered half my stash approx. 1.2L. A lovely mumma took up my offer and since then I’ve regularly donated my excess milk to her son. Approx. 4-5L is donated every 2ish weeks, we’re now facebook friends who chat every few days and i get to watch her son grow and flourish knowing I’m contributing to his strength.

KIRAH

FROM THE GROUP EXPERIENCE

1. How did you feel about your self image and confidence prior to starting this project with me? Like how did you view yourself and what did you always want to change about yourself?
   I viewed myself as disgusting, my self confidence was close to non existent. I was ashamed of how my body looked, even though what it had been through it deserved to look how it does. I’ve always wanted to change how I view my body. Your photoshoot did exactly that in a positive way. I walked away loving my body in all its glory.2. During the group photo how did you feel being surrounded by other mums that exposed all the sameness as you? Did you feel empowered? liberate? beautiful? All of the above haha did that experience change you at all and if so in what way?
   I felt all of the above! On my way to the shoot I felt vulnerable because all these women were going to see me naked, women who are strangers and people I’ve never met in my life. They were going to see the part of me I was most insecure about. But during the photoshoot I felt all of the above, my insecurities were non existent.3. Looking back on the memories we captured, the experience of the day of the group photos and reading other mums beautiful comments about how you inspired them now how do you feel about your self image and confidence as to previously doing this project?
   I now love my self image, I had no confidence before this day absolutely none, I was ashamed of how my body looked. The project has changed my life forever and how I view myself. My self confidence is back and I’m loving it. My body is beautiful. I’m never looking back.4. Tell me about how the experience with me made you feel i.e me taking care of the hair and makeup for you, how i spoke to you, the general vibe when with me and just overall?
   Brooke you smashed it!! I couldn’t of asked for anyone else to do it. Before even getting to the photoshoot I felt like an absolute queen! I’m not normally one for make up because that’s a lot of effort for me being a mum lol but getting my hair and make up done I felt like an absolute queen before even getting the photos done. Then when we arrived at the shoot and you said you had also came in your white bra and undies was an absolute vibe. You made the whole thing as comfortable as you could for us mums and for that I thank you.

   5. Do you think you have positively impacted your children with this experience or will it in the future?
   I’m hoping so, I have always been so open with my kids about my body and they know everyone’s body shape is different so I hope it can help teach them to love themselves the way I have.

FROM THE INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE

It was important to me to have these memories captured as I have always had a love hate relationship with my body. I can’t wait to look back in 20 years time at these images and see the difference in body again. I feel that my path lead me to you as this year I vowed to love myself including my body and going through the changes it has homing, birthing and feeding my children. I had next to no self confidence as appreciating your body after going through such changes can be tough because it’s so different to before but now I do and that is no thanks to you and these photos. I’ve walked away with self confidence I didn’t have before  all us women are incredible and I want to teach and show my children that no matter what shape or size we are we are all the same and that it’s ok to love every inch of your body exactly how it is.

KYLIE

FROM THE GROUP EXPERIENCE

1. How did you feel about your self image and confidence prior to starting this project with me? Like how did you view yourself and what did you always want to change about yourself?

Before this project my self image was something I ignored I wanted to have a positive outlook on it but struggled with my weight since having Marley and didn’t think positive self image would ever be a thing for me.

2.During the group photo how did you feel being surrounded by other mums that exposed all the sameness as you? Did you feel empowered? liberate? beautiful? All of the above haha did that experience change you at all and if so in what way?

I signed up to this as a last minute impulse thing. It didn’t really hit me until I was on that cliff. I thought I was going to be the biggest yuckiest body there. Then I realised my body was the same as everyone else and it wasn’t yucky or fat or jiggly it was beautiful. As each minute passed I felt this weird empowering energy, it was liberating and so free I started to forgot I was naked.

3. Looking back on the memories we captured, the experience of the day of the group photos and reading other mums beautiful comments about how you inspired them now how do you feel about your self image and confidence as to previously doing this project?

Reading the comments from other mums has helped me realise we all feel the same feelings about our bodies and I’m not alone.
I keep looking at the photos over and over um obsessed with them

4.Tell me about how the experience with me made you feel i.e me taking care of the hair and makeup for you, how i spoke to you, the general vibe when with me and just overall?

Getting my make up done was what make me feel amazing and I’ve never worn fake eye lashes and I kinda liked them. You doing the shoot in your undies was the best I really respected that. You made me feel great and relaxed.

5.Do you think you have positively impacted your children with this experience or will it in the future?

I feel what I did was something we both will have for years. She was able to pick my body from the line up without faces. And she said she loves my tummy. I feel when Marleys older the conversations will continue

FROM THE INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE

Ok so for me initially it was an impulse decision I made, I seen you had ppl pull out. I have always believed in the power of nakedness being liberating but since having a baby and my body changing I put that as an old thought for me and not a possibility.
I rocked up expecting to just get it over with etc bit was blown away by the range of emotions I felt, scared, comfortable, powerful, liberated, strong all the above.
I feel like maybe, just maybe I can love this body, my body, I’m only at the start of this journey but already decided I’ll be investing in purchasing the photos for our family to be proud of…. I kinda thought I’d do the photo shoot no one would ever see and they would go away and we could forget about it haha.
Brooke you made me feel powerful, strong womanly and maybe beautiful weird to say. I’m learning.
I think when I agreed to do this project I was going through a period of change, quit my job on a Wednesday with nothing else planned then this opportunity came on the Friday and I was nude in front of the camera on Sunday. I cant describe the feeling of being free non judged and naked in public this was a life changing thing that I found so much support from my loved ones, strangers, and even my own father who told me how proud he was of me.

Sinèad

FROM THE GROUP EXPERIENCE

1. How did you feel about your self image and confidence prior to starting this project with me? Like how did you view yourself and what did you always want to change about yourself?

I’m a very confident women, very comfortable in my own skin. The day furthered that and made me feel like a queen!

2. During the group photo how did you feel being surrounded by other mums that exposed all the sameness as you? Did you feel empowered? liberate? beautiful? All of the above haha did that experience change you at all and if so in what way?

Standing side by side with all those beautiful mumma’s made me feel unified and very proud.

3. Looking back on the memories we captured, the experience of the day of the group photos and reading other mums beautiful comments about how you inspired them now how do you feel about your self image and confidence as to previously doing this project?

Nothing about my confidence changed but it was endearing to hear everyone’s wonderful words, sometimes some re assurance is all we need.

4. Tell me about how the experience with me made you feel i.e me taking care of the hair and makeup for you, how i spoke to you, the general vibe when with me and just overall?

Having everything taken care of made me feel like the queen Every woman deserves to be!

5. Do you think you have positively impacted your children with this experience or will it in the future?

I’ve always tried to instil the importance of the of self worth to my children and the photoshoot only strengthened that

FROM THE INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE

May i please get you to tell me why it was important to you to have these memories captured, since your experience with me how do you feel when you look at yourself now?

I think it’s important to show the world that “mum” bodies are still and forever will be sexy!

Do you feel differently? what is something that you took away with you (a feeling).

I felt incredible, accomplished and empowered.

Here I stand proudly with these amazing women and children after this incredible high experience we all endured. I captured all of these women in my bra and undies myself and prior to this we all got together on this big cliff face as I gave them an empowering speech to pump them up. It was an incredible movement like no other and I will always remember this day I stood Unified with these ladies.

My feels right after this evening 

I am Brooke Alie and I am your memory keeper