Plus-size women in topless lingerie shoot as they vow to 'take back the word fat'

Home Top

Two shot at J. Cole concert: Hunt for gunman who opened fire and left victims fighting for life after argument in New Jersey parking lot
Sons of 9/11 victim grew up poor, and were never told they were worth $1m: Their dad died in the kitchen of Windows on the World - then their payout bounced between bureaucrats for a DECADE
'Do you believe in love at first sight... or should I walk around you three more times?': The five cringe-worthy pick up lines that actually DO work revealed
More than 450 civilians, including 100 children, have been killed by US-led coalition airstrikes against ISIS, claims report
Six-year-old girl killed alongside another spectator in circus tent collapse that left another 15 injured in New Hampshire
Trump wins by NOT showing up at final warmup before first GOP debate - as rivals squabble without naming him and new poll gives him 26 per cent of primary voters
Democrats save Planned Parenthood from being stripped of cash - for now - after horror abortion videos as Republicans vow to push measure through
Obama to meet with Jewish leaders to push Iran nuclear deal as poll shows American public opposes pact with ayatollahs
Jeb Bush tells how he has lost 'lost 40 pounds in six months' on the Paleo diet
Jeb is miserable at my rise, crows Trump: Republican frontrunner laughs at claims Bush is happy at The Donald hurting rest of field
Joe Biden IS considering run for presidency White House admits as it says he needs time to consider taking on Hillary
President Obama goes without his wedding ring for the weekend
Marry Mia Farrow? I've scotch older than her: That's what Dean Martin told Sinatra. If only he'd listened!
Is this why women wear their coats in the office? Air conditioning temperatures in the office are based on the preferences of a middle-aged male
It's not Viagra he needs... it's testosterone: Many men think those little blue pills are all it takes to pep up a flagging love life. But new research suggests they're VERY wrong
Could pears be the best hangover cure going? Fruit's juice can reduce effects of a night's drinking by up to a fifth
Apple's Siri set to transcribe messages so iPhone users never have to listen to another voicemail
Father Bobby Brown is nowhere to be seen at final goodbye for Bobbi Kristina: Cissy Houston and Dionne Warwick lead the mourners as she is buried next to her mother in New Jersey cemetery
'Terrified' mom tells court how unarmed black car-crash victim kicked her door repeatedly while 'asking for help' before she called 911... and a white officer killed him
Brown and Houston families at WAR as photo of Bobbi Kristina in her casket 'is sold for six figures' with both sides blaming one another for the leaked picture
PIERS MORGAN: The best tribute Whitney and Bobbi Kristina's greedy, grasping, fame-hungry relatives and friends could pay them is to shut the f*** up
London to New York in just ONE HOUR: Airbus files patent for a hypersonic jet more than double the speed of Concorde
Ease the AGONY of sunburn: It can be a sign of significant skin damage. Here's how to reduce the redness and pain
'Every time I sat down to eat I was thinking - skinny or fat?' From living off diet coke and tins of tuna, food author reveals how she quit fad diets and started eating to feel good

Photographer Mariana Godoy, 46, asked a group of curvy women to pose for her Empowering Me picture series
The Brazil-based artist hopes that her images will make people realize being 'fat' is not something negative

Published: 11:01 EST, 3 August 2015 | Updated: 15:01 EST, 3 August 2015

View
comments

A photographer has teamed up with a group of plus-size women in order to try and reclaim the word 'fat' and remove the negative stigmas that are currently connected with it.

Brazilian-based photographer Mariana Godoy's new body-confident picture series Empoderarte Me, which translates to Empowering Me, sees several curvy women baring their bodies as they pose up in their underwear in order to show the world that they aren't afraid to embrace 'fat' and everything that it means.

'I chose lingerie because photographs of fat woman in lingerie are rare, so this was a form of protest and self-acceptance,' Mariana, 46, told Daily Mail Online.

If you've got it, flaunt it: Photographer Mariana Godoy called on a group of plus-size volunteers to take part in her lingerie shoot, asking them to bare their bodies in the hopes of proving that being big is beautiful

Fighting back: The group wants to prove that the word 'fat' doesn't have to be a cruel insult, but can be reclaimed by larger women and turned into something far more positive

Baring it all: Mariana, who is from Brazil, explained that she didn't originally intend for the women to pose in their underwear; the idea came instead from one of the volunteers

'I think if a fat woman sees the images, she will feel the power of the girls who were photographed. The power of self-love, to love each definition of love. To be unique and wonderful.

'The models who appear topless chose to pose that way themselves, they want to choose the way they feel loved.'

Mariana added to Cosmopolitan: 'There is a lot of prejudice against the word fat [in Brazil], people judge and condemn fat people.'

The photos feature several different full-figured women, posing in lingerie or even topless. Shot in vivid color, the photos highlight every dimple, curve and stretch mark, with the women displaying each aspect of their bodies with pride.

Strike a pose: Although many Brazilian women have curvy figures, Mariana revealed that the body type is still 'judged and condemned'

Nothing to hide: The photos highlight every dimple, curve and stretch mark, with the women displaying each aspect of their bodies with pride

Powerful picture: Some of the images were captured in the streets of Brazil, with these two women taking the opportunity to proudly show off their colorful body art, alongside the city's graffiti

In many of the photos, the women also bear slogans scrawled across their bodies in Portugese such as: 'My Body My Rules' and 'Fat and Healthy'.

Despite brunette, brown-eyed curvy beauties being somewhat commonplace in Brazil, Mariana explained that blonde, blue-eyed and slim-hipped women are still considered to be the most beautiful in the country.

But with this new project, she aims to remove the stigma attached to being a larger lady, and bring a new, positive meaning to the word fat.

'I want to prove that not every obese or fat person has health problems,' she explained to Daily Mail Online.

'A thin person may also have health problems. Being healthy has nothing to do with your size.

All shapes and sizes: Each of the women who took part in Mariana's shoot is beautiful in their own way and the images are supposed to celebrate their individuality

No shame: 'I want to prove that not every obese or fat person has health problems,' Mariana told Daily Mail Online of her picture project

A moving message: 'I think if a fat woman sees the images, she will feel the power of the girls who were photographed,' Mariana added

No offense: While many women see the term 'fat' as being an insult, Mariana and her models want to show that the word only has a cruel meaning if you allow it to

'I grew up understanding that the word 'fat' was meant offensively, but I want to show the opposite of that. I want to show that being fat is beautiful, and that people have to stop being prejudiced towards larger people.'

After receiving the idea for the project from a friend, Mariana sent out an open call for volunteers who share her vision, and found a pack of plus-size ladies more than happy to strip for the cause.

And while Mariana's fat-focused photoshoot first began as a fun project between her and her friends, she explains that it soon evolved far beyond that, after her images started gaining attention on social media, and more and more women contacted her to ask to be involved.

'As soon as I posted the first photo on a social network, everyone admired them and asked me to give continuity to the project,' she said.

Gaining attention: Mariana's photoshoots first began as a fun project with her friends, but as soon as she began posting the images on social media, more and more women asked to be involved

Healthy and happy: Mariana hopes that her photos will help to prove that not all larger people have health problems

Confident: None of the women in the images are afraid to showcase their bodies, and Mariana hopes that the pictures will inspire other women to find the same level of confidence in their appearance, no matter what their size