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.

Stripped #17

Lovely.

from: Indexed

Stripped Project Flyer

Stripped #16

Stripped #14

Stripped #15

Stripped #13

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!"

FAQs (Under Construction)

Who are you?
My name is Gabrielle Loisel. I was raised by wolves. I am currently majoring in French and Creative Writing at Agnes Scott College. I've been taking photos for as long as I can remember. I like bees, tea, leather shoes, feminism, afternoon sunlight, my cello, bathtubs, red lipstick, cupcakes, and knitting. Oh yeah, and naked people.

Is this for school?
Nope. This is my own independent project.

How do you choose your models?
I don't, really. They choose me. I take whoever volunteers.

Do you tell your models how to pose?
Nope. I let them stand however they want. I think it alows their personalities to come through.

Why aren't these photos pretty?
Aren't they?

Are these photos Photoshopped or in any way photo-manipulated?
No. I think these bodies are perfect the way they are.

Why the poor lighting/photographic quality/etc. . . ?
I'm really just not that interested in making glossy images. I think that the subjects stand alone and don't need any extra bells and whistles to enhance them. . . One day I may have a lovely studio and an expensive camera, but right now, I have Eugene and I have my dorm room.

Who's Eugene?
He's my camera. I name my electronics.

So, basically you're taking full-body mugshots?
I'm trying to represent what's in front of me, right now, with the tools I have. Things are kind of on the fly.

Where can I find your regular portfolio?
Why, it's right here!


(SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO STRIPPEDDAME@GMAIL.COM!)

Stripped #11

Stripped #10

Stripped #9

Stripped #8

This first shot (the one from behind) is my favorite so far. Usually I crop the photos, but this sweet lady did such an excellent job of filling the space with her presence. She was so excited to pose for me, saying that she found posing nude liberating, and I think that her confidence really comes across.

Stripped #7

Stripped #6

"I stripped because I agree with the premise of the blog, I don't think the idea of beauty as defined by the media should stand as the norm. I hope that the blog will continue to grow and re-define beauty. I am honored to be a part of it."

Stripped #5

"It was more of a test for myself. I was never confident with my body until recently. I told myself that if I could do this then I really was happy with myself, inside and out."

Stripped #4

"I stripped to challenge myself. I stripped to try and start building confidence about my body. I stripped to help out a dear friend. I stripped so that people could see that magazines are fake, that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, and that no one should be ashamed of the way they look!"