Women from the world: Portraits

When we think about beauty, we probably have some standards in mind. We are constantly bombardedĀ with images andĀ pictures of what a beautiful woman looks like. It is said that the average human is exposed to over 3,000 images a day. But is there any diversity in all these images? I have decided to introduce you to a beautiful series of portraits of women from the world…

I am not ashamed to admit that I used to believe that I had toĀ aspire to one look. Ā I used to think and to believe that there was a unique kind of beauty. When I was young, my ideal was this girl on front page. I did not pay attention to the diversity of girls and women that surrounded me. Who should we blame for it?

 

According to magazines, it seems that there is only one and unique beauty in the world… However, there is not only one way women can be and feel beautiful.Ā Ā 

Filles Ć  Cuba

In Quest for Beauty

This is the brilliant challenge Sara Melotti, an Italian photographer, decided to take on. Sara’s dreams have changed lately. She used to work in the fashion industry where she was photographingĀ these women appearing in magazines and fashion shows. But after working for 3 years, she realized that the fashion industry was putting on women some unrealistic standards. So, she quit her job and started to travel the world in quest for beauty.

Ā« 11 months ago I realized I was hurting many women with my fashion work, contributing in creating unrealistic beauty standards that were nothing but self esteem killers.Ā Ā»

Her incredibleĀ project aims to discover how women from all around the world define beauty.

Ā 

What does beauty mean for a woman ?Ā 

 

WhileĀ traveling around the world, the photographer took the portrait of hundred of women asking them the same question: “What does beauty mean for you?”.Ā Sara photographed women in a dozen of countries, such as Ethiopia, Vietnam, Morocco, France, Mexico, Ireland, Italy and Cuba. The women are from every ages, size and skin tone. They represent women from all over the world and not one and unique kind of women. And their answer tell a lot:Ā Beauty is, first of all, a feeling.Ā “For 99 percent of them, beauty has nothing to do with looks,” says Sara.

ā€œIn a world where we are constantly bombarded by unrealistic beauty standards we often forget that real Beauty lies in every womanā€.

 

A woman is beautiful, no matter her age, her size, her origin or her skin tone.Ā 

 

ā€œĀ Most cultures have a different view of what beauty is than what we see advertisedā€.
Sara Melotti

 

 

Ā 

 

Vietnam

 

Maroc

 

 

ā€œThe important thing I took away so far is that women are tired of being told what they should look like to be considered ā€˜beautiful.ā€™ā€

 

Mexico

 

Italy

 

Vietnam

 

Ā 
Ā 
Ethiopia

France

Irland

Ā Mexico

Hong Kong


These portraits were taken byĀ Sara Melotti. You can discover her project and her amazing photographies on her different websites.

You can also discover another similar project by Mihaela Noroc, a Romanian photographer, who launched “The Atlas of Beauty“, a series of portraits of women from the world.

Ā«The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives the passion that she shows. The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years.Ā»
Audrey Hepburn

 

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What does beauty means to you?
Have you ever felt the pressure of beauty standard ?
I would love to hear your opinion
ā™€
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    1. says: Florence

      Thank you šŸ™‚ Yes I agree, it’s a beautiful project and I am so happy to share it! It is really needed!

    1. says: Florence

      Thank you FĆ bio! I am also a lover of Sara’s work and I really wanted to share her beautiful project šŸ™‚

  1. says: Chiara

    I loved this so much! Beauty is a very personal concept and we are influenced mostly by the place where we live! Great photos, thank you for sharing šŸ™‚

  2. I have always believed that beauty is much more than what lies on the outside. Beauty comes from within. I know a friend that has been told everyday that she needs to look a certain wait for the world. I have repeatedly told her that she is already beautiful. Reminding someone of this is important. Great photos from around the world!

  3. says: Raquel

    What a fantastic project!!! I absolutely love reading this post and seeing different beautiful women around the world. It is very interesting how perception varies across the world. I love Sara MelottiĀ“s photography šŸ™‚

    1. says: Florence

      Thank you for your comment Raquel šŸ™‚ I agree with you, this project really shows us how perception of beauty varies across the world.