— Bare reality
Books - Bare reality - More than simply part of our bodies, breasts represent sexuality, motherhood and femininity.
Books
Bare Reality
More than simply part of our bodies, breasts represent sexuality, motherhood and femininity.
Their primary purpose is to feed our babies. At the same time, in Western culture they are considered a woman’s single most significant sexual attribute. They can be erogenous zones. Yet to others they bring disappointment, inconvenience, and even health problems. We see images of breasts everywhere in the media and yet ‘real’ breasts are taboo, hidden away. I decided to create Bare Reality because I have always been fascinated by the dichotomy between women’s personal lives and how they are depicted in the media; between how we feel about breasts privately and how they are presented for public consumption.
For two years, I photographed and interviewed women about their breasts, bodies and lives. The project concluded with the publication of a book and exhibition in 2015.
In Bare Reality, 100 women bravely share un-airbrushed photographs of their breasts alongside honest, courageous, powerful and humorous stories about their breasts and their lives. Women from all walks of life took part, aged from 19 to 101, sized AAA to K, from Buddhist nun to burlesque dancer. Their perspectives and experiences are revealing and profoundly moving. Intimate, visually refreshing, maybe even surprising, Bare Reality will make you reconsider how you think and feel about your own body, and those of the women in your life.
Limited edition prints for sale.
“This book is a breath of fresh air. It celebrates the diversity of women’s bodies, and refocuses us to the stories that our bodies can tell and the value they hold, rather than the various ways they can be judged.”
“An inspiring book”
“‘Bare Reality’ is an extraordinary book – Dodsworth describes it as ‘100 photographs, 100 stories, 100 acts of feminism’ –unflinching in its portrayal of the female form.”
Media
Interview on ITVs Loose Women
Interview on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour (starts at 22:49)
Buy the book:
From the publisher Pinter & Martin
