Sometimes a photo series comes along that is so rare, so raw and so refreshing that we simply have to share it. A Mother’s Beauty – an annual photo project that uses real mums to help smash the stigma surrounding what a body after baby should look like – is one of them
Be inspired by these amazing mothers of all ages, all shapes, all sizes, who have stepped into the spotlight with photographers Jenna and Aimee Hobbs to showcase the beauty underneath the many layers that make us mums.
Motherhood stripped
Motherhood touches every aspect of our beings. Our bodies are certainly no exception. Every wrinkle on our faces, every circle under our eyes, every inch of saggy skin on our bellies, every stretch mark on our breasts is a reminder of how incredible we mothers are.
This is the mission behind A Mother’s Beauty – to prove to mothers that we should be proud, not ashamed, of our postpartum bodies.
“It is motherhood. And it is beautiful”
Jenna and Aimee Hobbs are the talented duo behind A Mother’s Beauty, a yearly project which brings several mothers and children together for a near-naked photo shoot. The models – ordinary mums – strip down to help break the stigma of what a post baby body looks like.
“Society has placed a negative stigma on the postpartum body, urging women to get back their pre-baby bodies, to lose the baby weight and hide the stretch marks,” Jenna, who has four children and another one due soon, tells Mum’s Grapevine.
“We disagreed and instead saw beauty. We wanted to showcase the change in body shape, because it is motherhood and it is beautiful.”
Dressed in just their knickers, with minimal makeup and natural lighting, the mothers in the images glow in front of the camera. Cradling their babies, clutching the hands of their toddlers, and giggling along with their older kids, this is motherhood exposed.
And it is refreshing.
“Here I am. This is me. I am enough.”
What makes these photos even more unique is that the mums are the focus. This notion of focusing on mum (not the kids) is rarely seen, especially in photos, where mums tend to be the ones taking the shots. Mums are always there, but we are often hidden.
“So much of motherhood focuses on our children and doing the best for them. Mamas can get forgotten about in there,” says Aimee, who has two sons and two older step-children.
These photos strive to change this – to bring mothers out from behind the camera and to capture that beautiful bond between a mother and her child.
The images are strong but the stories behind each image are even more powerful. As model, Victoria, shares, “I struggle daily with my body image and often do so in silence. After two C-sections and two losses in between, I am learning to celebrate the journey my body and I have taken.”
Mum and model, Erin, echoes this thought: “It was important to capture this moment in my life. To one day show my daughter that mumma was so proud of her body. To teach her that she should be fearless and proud.”
Celebrating motherhood and postpartum beauty
While Aimee and Jenna initially set out to empower the women involved in the project, the photos have reached so many more mothers out there.
“We were unprepared for how far [these photos] could touch. For every image and story we share, there is another woman who can relate to her and has shared her struggle,” Aimee tells Mum’s Grapevine.
As model Alyssa so eloquently reminds us, “Having a baby changes your body, but it also changes your heart and mind. You don’t need to look like who you were before because you are no longer that person. You are better.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
Thank you to Aimee and Jenna for letting us share these photos and for showcasing the true beauty within every mum.
Have a look at our article on the 17 reasons why we love being mums (and you probably do too) as well as these empowering birth photos that, once again, prove just how amazing we mummies really are!
