Young London based photographer Catharina Pavitschitz converges to the subject of talking about femininity in a gentle and abstract way. He project called “body” examines Generation X’s relationship with their own body. “By not retouching the body in the shots I want to show the flaws that women are told to hide and encourage to embrace them and find beauty in them. My subjects are asked to disregard the male gaze and focus on how they feel about their body and eventually let go of their body anxiety. In my work I often incorporate an awkwardness within the body, making my subjects twist and turn in ways they normally would not. I think we spend so much time living our life digitally [on social media] that we forget that we have an analogue body and all the incredible things it can do.” We enquired a little bit more about the idea behind this series and along with it display Catharina´s exclusive C-Heads shooting with model Lucy Knell of Models 1 Curve.
Your main purpose of doing the “body” series is…
We are all real women, no matter what shape and size. To me finding beauty in a real woman with a real body meant not retouching any of the things that society sees as flaws that women are not supposed to have. There has been quite a big shift towards plastic surgery after certain celebrities and reality stars altered parts of their body and claimed it helped them gain self confidence and made them more comfortable with themselves. Of course the whole plastic surgery aspect has been around for a very long time but it has come to an extreme where kids who can’t afford it will go out of their way to achieve the beauty standard that is dictated by the media by unhealthy DIY methods (Kylie Jenner lip challenge for example). While it has become more acceptable to be bigger than size zero, it is only certain parts of the body that are allowed to exceed the limits. One can have big breasts and a big behind but waist and legs must be tiny and the face has to have slim features, sharp cheekbones and a tiny nose that will be enhanced with contouring make up, while eyes and lips have to be big, most of the time also accentuated by fake eyelashes and overdrawing of eyebrows as well as lips.
Equally as a skinny woman you must still have fairly big breasts and a rather big bum while your thighs cannot touch, there has to be a gap, you’re expected to not show any signs of cellulite and your stomach has to be flat. We are moving in a direction where women resemble barbie dolls and that’s I why I used the word ‘real’ woman – I guess natural would be the more accurate word to describe what I was going for. To find beauty in a natural woman with an un-retouched body.
I am hoping that this will help girls and women alike to embrace their so-called flaws and let go of their body anxiety, the model in the pictures was so gorgeous, not because she is bigger than size zero but because she felt comfortable in her own skin. To see someone embrace what you think is an imperfection might help embrace your own imperfections.
Why do you think society always falls into the trap of having certain standards for beauty?
It might derive from people’s need to put a label on everything in order to understand it. I always find it funny how some places in the world have a completely different beauty standard to the majority of the rest of the world. I recently spent a couple of weeks in Japan and it was curious to see the stereotype that people want to be pale come true, they wore parasols and even gloves so that their skin won’t be exposed to the sun. It’s also very interesting to see how those standards have changed so drastically over the decades and even more dramatically over centuries. The standards of beauty are dictated by the media and society takes them as a guideline which is why I think it is important to bring diversity to what is shown in the media.
What are the “key ingredients” to good self-esteem?
I think the most important ingredient is acceptance. We all have features that we don’t like about ourselves but instead of focusing on what’s wrong with ourselves we should be focusing on the things we’re good at.
Photography: Catharina Pavitschitz | http://catharinapavitschitz.com | @catharinapavitschitz
Stylist: Faye Héran | www.fayeheran.com | @epinettefiles
Set design: Liz Lillie Young | http://lizlillieyoung.com | @lizlillieyoung
Make up: Tamash Sharkan using NARS | www.tamashsharkan.com | @tamashsharkan
Hair: Miho Emori | http://whitergoyours.wix.com/hair
Photographic Assistant: Megan Redden
Set design assistant: Nina Hannemann
Stylist Assistant: Tor Marie
Model: Lucy Knell | Models 1 Curve | @lucyyknelll
Antonio the cat at KITSCH studio
Top: Topshop, Briefs: Triumph, Socks: American Apparel
Bra: ASOS, Briefs: Triumph, Skirt: James Kelly
Dress: Rosemary Lambert and Kate Donald
Bra: ASOS, Briefs: Triumph, Skirt: James Kelly
Top: Topshop, Briefs: Triumph, Socks: American Apparel
Bra: ASOS, Briefs: Triumph, Skirt: James Kelly
Bra: ASOS
Cardigan: Renli Su, Belt as top: James Kelly, Pants: Charnos Lingerie
Bra: ASOS, Briefs: Triumph, Skirt: James Kelly
Dress: Kate Donald, Tights: H & M, Shoes: Melissa
Belt as top: James Kelly, Briefs: Charnos Lingerie
Belt as top: James Kelly, Briefs: Charnos Lingerie
Bra: ASOS, Briefs: Triumph, Skirt: James Kelly
