Making a Difference.

This is an email I received a few days ago. It really thrilled me to hear that this project is changing minds.

You know my brother. I don't know how, but you do. I guess he does have a social life.

I'm a camera whore and want to model for Stripped. Maybe model isn't the right word, but you know what I mean. Should I just take my own pictures? I can, they will just be shitty. I see you live in Atlanta, that's where my entire family is from and we go down there for vacations. If I happened to be down there at any point, could you take them? I don't really know anyone up here who I could just say "Hey! Wanna take a picture of me naked?"

Anyways, the project actually has helped me out. I'm a very vain person, and I really think that vanity has affected me. I date very "beautiful" girls, but will always find something about them to pick apart. My last girlfriend was not commonly beautiful but still gorgeous, and I really had some mental roadblocks to get over with some of her physicalities which weren't even that bad! I mean, I'm no Adonis by any means, and I don't know why I expect my women to be flawless when I am far from it.

Anyways, if you don't think I'm psycho after this letter THAT'S amazing. Get at me if you have the time, and we'll see what's good with this strippedness.

Also, National Eating Disorder Awareness Week begins today. For more info, head over to the Association's site.

Stripped # 21

"I've always been self conscious about my body. I've always had a hard time accepting my large chest and thighs. My goal for myself was to take care of my body but also accept it for the way it was. I wanted to strip because I wanted to show myself that I could be proud of my body and not be ashamed. Once I saw the pictures.....man I look good. What the hell was I worrying about??"

Happy Valentine's Day!

Don't forget to love yourself!*

* I didn't mean it that way, pervs.

**Also, isn't this button-eyed, glossy-lipped little "boy" (read: android) terrifying?

"Why I Stripped" # 5

"I stripped because I am tired of people telling me what attractive is. Have your own opinion, feel good in your skin! I was also the heaviest I have ever been at the time, and I had to relearn how to be comfortable with myself and my body."

Stripped # 20

"Why I Stripped" #12:

"I'm not entirely sure why I stripped. I don't think it was so much a reason for doing it as it was being myself. That doesn't mean I'm a stripper. I am just saying that I am the type of person who, when given the chance to be entertaining, will. I took my clothes off in front of several people more or less for the hell of it. [My friend]'s dad laughed at my butt hair; [one friend] laughed at my pubic hair; [one of my girl friends] laughed at my penis... or at the fact that she saw it the first day we met. But it was ok. I just enjoyed it. I know you're not here for advice, but I think you should take your clothes off and have nude pictures of yourself put on the internet too!"

More Hard Facts

"30% of women chose an ideal body shape that is 20% underweight and an additional 44% chose an ideal body shape that is 10% underweight."

"The average U.S. woman is 5’4” and weighs 140 pounds whereas the average U.S. model is 5’11” and weighs 117 pounds."

"After viewing images of female fashion models, 7 out of 10 women felt more depressed and angry than prior to viewing the images."

via University of Colorado.

Stripped # 19

It's like she's dancing.










































"The political is personal when you're a woman and a queer. My body became a battleground the second the chromosomes were aligned. But as much as I would like to say this was a statement, I really just did it for fun, however, I do fully support and endorse and FREAKING CHEER ON the actual aim of the project in regards to body diversity, beauty fascism, etc.

I've always hated photos of me and have only begun to like my picture being taken in the last year or two, and then only by me with a webcam where I can control everything. I expected to be terrified about this. I wasn't. It was pretty awesome. And I get to feel like I'm helping!"

Stripped # 18

Some Hard Facts

Here's some numbers I came across about teen girls and body image from a poll by Girl Scouts of America. It's absolutely heartbreaking; nine out of ten girls (aged thirteen to seventeen) felt pressured by the media to be thin. Over a third of the participants had known someone with an eating disorder.

One hopeful fact: "More than 80 percent of teen girls said they would rather see natural photos of models rather than pictures that had been digitally altered or enhanced."

I would love to see the numbers about teen boys and how much effect the media has on their self-image.

Read the whole story here.