Real Lives: The stories of Cambridge women in words and pictures
Celebrating local women and their lived experience through both words and pictures, 21 Tales of Real Women is the work of Cambridge photographer Elodie Giuge. To mark Velvet’s Woman Power Issue, Elodie gives an insight into the project - and into five of the women who took part
As a portrait and headshot photographer, I have photographed many formidable women over the years and noticed that, no matter their kindness and achievements, most of them didn't have anything nice to say about themselves. I wanted to change that, so I started a portrait initiative in 2021 called '21 Tales of Real Women' to celebrate the strength, beauty, and perfect imperfections of all women.
My goal was to photograph 21 women of diverse backgrounds, ages, and sizes and show them that their beauty shouldn't be defined by unrealistic standards. The project was about celebrating them, their inner strength, their life, their achievements, and their beauty that shines from within.
The project culminated in an exhibition event and it was an incredible experience to be in a room full of love and support, and to see people connect around shared experiences. By stepping in front of the camera and being seen, these 21 women have made other people feel seen too. They have inspired and encouraged other women to change the way they look at themselves and start learning to love what makes them who they are.
“Just a few weeks after I lost my first pregnancy, I did something a little unexpected: I stepped in front of a camera. I was devastated and grieving, still flooded with pregnancy hormones as I recognized that the image I had started to build of what my life, my future, even my body would look like had just crumbled. Miscarriage is so common, yet so little discussed, and I wanted to show myself and others going through it that our bodies are not failing us, that they're beautiful and worth celebrating.” - Sharon
“Reaching my 40th was a significant milestone, as I have finally learned to accept the fact that I am enough just the way I am - perfectly imperfect. Motherhood made me learn so much about myself, understand more about my strength and limits, guilt, kindness, patience and resilience, and most of all, revealed an incredible amount of unconditional love. I am hoping my daughters will understand how important self-appreciation is, and minimise as much as possible their need for external validation, so they can be truly happy with who they are.” - Ofelia
“Although my diverse experiences have taught me the transformative power of self-love, self-care, and mindfulness as key to accepting myself, I still feel vulnerable having my photograph taken and my desire is to boldly convey pride in my own body — a testament to the beauty that blossoms when self-acceptance shines through.” - Christine
“People concentrate so much on their differences, be it colour, gender, or class. We are all humans. I hope that somehow my inclusion in this awesome project will help in some way to show that my identity as a woman is a valid one. I’m no different.” - Nici
“In the last couple of years I've been exploring the feeling of womanhood - of how it feels to try to be a professional and a mother, of sometimes having to hide one and emphasise the other, or of defying the conventions and not hiding one when 'being' the other.” - Avital
To see the portraits and read the stories of all 21 women, scan the QR code. For more information about Elodie and her work, visit photographybyeg.com
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Velvet Magazine contributor