#23

Beautiful Imperfections.

#22

Love Handles, Lovelier voice. Check out her tunes here.

#21

Upper Thighs.

#20

Legs.

#19

Scar.

Updates Soon...

Sorry for the dry spell on my blog, I have gotten tangled up in the horrid web of exam month, but I promise, there will be more thought-provoking posts and images soon!

Remember to always Love the Pudge,

M

"It's a Movement"

I recieved a note from one of my models today which gave me the chills. I asked her if she would not mind it being published to my blog, and she was more than happy to share this with the world. I won't explain what is written because I believe it is quite beautifully stated itself:

"I wanted to let you know how my story continued after your show's debut on campus.

First, my bracelet is still on my wrist. A few people asked me if it was some sort of green Kabbalah bracelet, but were starstruck when I explained to them it was for participation in a new movement to create personal dedication to loving the body God gave you, just as it is, right now.

Then a strange thing happened.

For seven years, I have been on-again off-again trying to lose weight. Being photographed by you was another moment to notice deeply how little my body felt in alignment with my spirit. But somehow, without my really trying or doing a thing, since your show, I have begun to shed body-baggage.

In yoga they say that emotional baggage carries weight on the body just as it does on the mind. But somehow after opening myself up to the public through your artwork, and then afterwards remembering the messages of mindful eating and listening to the inner voice of "I'm full" and not the emotional voice of "I'm eating my feelings," the kilos started dropping. Now a few weeks later, many friends have commented that I look healthier and literally, enlightened. For sure I have been spending more time with female friends and cooking healthy, rice-and-vegetable based meals. But it is without effort, it is simply eating what I need, and stopping when I am full.

Thank you for helping me to realize slowly, and with healthful habits, my seven year dream to have a body and soul that match."

#18

Nose.

Let's make a molehill into a mountainrange.

I would like to continue this project farther than the 17 "pioneer body models" I have already photographed. I want to turn heads with this project much more than I already have, but I need your help!

If you would like to take part in my campaign please email me or comment here with your details: Mojalvo26@gmail.com

I'm looking forward to making this a worldwide initiative!

Thanks for all of your continuous support.

#17

The last of the 17 is someone I have a lot of respect for. After we photographed my body, she literally thought aloud and decided, "Why the hell not?" She told me that her mom made her self conscious of her feet so we decided to do them. This girl is incredibly talented and will definitely touch many people's lives. I wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

#16

After photoshoot number 15, I felt it more than necessary to get in front of the lens myself. The reasons for this were firstly to avoid hypocracy, and secondly, experience the "catharsis" my volunteers told me they felt from participating in my project. My good friend who also created the Love the Pudge documentary with me offered to photograph the session.

It wasn't until I was in front of the camera's lens that I fully understood what had been expressed to me prior. For the duration of the shoot, the focus was entirely on the nudging insecurities that usually only live in my thoughts. These inhibitions I traditionally hide behind a smile were now being displayed in front of a white curtain and a blinding light. As I posed exposing my "pouchy" stomach and "fatty" upper arms, a feeling of resentment faded into pure freedom. I tucked my tank top as much as I could, revealing everything that I routinely work to hide on a daily basis.

When we reviewed the pictures, my insecurities had not been magically obliterated, nor was I left with an extreme confidence-boost, however, what it did give me was a sense of empowerment. I was enlightened because for once, I was interpreting my body not as the owner, but from a fresh, outside perspective.

#15

Feet.

#14

Scar [see remark on birthmarks #12].

This model came ready with research. Before we even started shooting, she pulled out her computer and insisted on showing me her new virtual secret identity. After hearing news of her cousin's struggle with anorexia, she began to investigate the world of anorexia on the web. To her surprise, she discovered a whole new dimension to the world of Facebook--pseudo profile pages and groups supporting anorexic habits are growing like a fungus in this virtual setting. She made herself a pseudo character to interact with the individuals who lived on these pages. The things she has learned about this disorder are frightening--and she is now trying to help and understand the (mostly) young girls who give eachother this bizarre support.

#13

Swirl of the facial hair.

#12

I think birthmarks are a daily reminder of our individuality; a celebration of our unique beauty.

#11

This was a moving shoot for me. A very close friend of mine, she volunteered to take part in my campaign. She opted to photograph the moles that freckle her back. A stylishly "conservative" dresser, she wears a "silver screen chic" look including oversized silk blouses and retro full bathing suits. This was the first shoot where my model had to be topless, and although we are friends, the feeling of discomfort for her was permeable. The room was silent as she stood, facing the wall, crossing her arms over her button down to cover her front half. The only noise was that of the camera's shutter. I got the shot, and she slipped back on her shirt. A few days later, we spoke about the photoshoot and she confided in me the hurdle she had to overcome to participate in my campaign by telling me a personal struggle from her childhood. I am very proud of her.

#10

I had asked this individual if he would be interested in participating in my campaign. I really yearned to "level the playing field" by incorporating both males and females in my campaign. He suggested that I photograph his calves. I was taken aback. What could be wrong with calves? "They're too small".

A natural comedian, my "body model" made the photoshoot hilarious. Again, my normal studio was occupied, so we moved to the television studio classroom--which I clean forgot has a huge observation window in it. Halfway through the shoot, my volunteer standing on a barrel-like prop in his boxers on relevé making jokes at nearly everything we did, and myself crouched below photographing his bare legs, I noticed a figure out the corner of my eye. I turned to see one of my former teachers desperately trying to piece together what was happening before his eyes.

#9

Tummy.

#8

Love Handles. Arms.

#7

Back.

#6

Arms.

#5

A neck is an interesting part of the body. It supports your head, the part of us that controls everything that we do, what we say and how we move. It is overlooked by most, but interestingly enough, this individual scrutinized the supporting part of her body. This photosession was the first of the 17 pioneer-shots in which the onlookers could rarely deciepher an insecurity.

#4

My normal studio I had grown accustomed to using was occupied. So we ventured down the hall to the virtual studio, a room with completely blue walls, floors and odd lighting. I was lucky however, because the body part I would be shooting was something where the background would not play such a large role. "I don't like my fingers, I wish that they were shorter". This was truly the first of my shoots that baffled me. Who would wish for shorter fingers? Furthermore, which type of person would stop to notice that this girl has "too long of fingers"? This insecurity reinforced personally the reason why I started this campaign. It proved that our insecurities are truly things that sometimes only we can see, and maybe do not deserve the amount of emphasis we currently put on them.

#3

Midsection. The shoot was accompanied by the ambient sounds of Pitbull and reggaeton. We began with shots highlighting her stomach--grabbing and stretching the skin that surrounded her belly-button. But as the infectious beats of the music persisted, the shoot naturally developed into a dance session. She circled her torso to the music, grabbing her hips, swinging her long, curly hair to the side; and through this, she was simply using her misection for what it was made for. The best photos from the shoot were not the ones blatantly showcasing her insecurity, but rather the ones where she embraced them.

#2

A free spirit and a dancer, she walked into the studio wearing a long, floral skirt. "I'm going to do my arms", she announced. Her session's photographs yielded beautiful shapes that were graceful and lyrically-inspired.

#1

An overcast & windy day greeted me as I treked to school lugging my usual weighty backpack and camera. I arrived at my school's equipment room looking less than presentable and asked to rent a light--"tapuz" or "orange" as they are called here, and proceeded to the second floor. I set up the mini tv-studio, not knowing exactly how I would photograph my first "love the pudge" shoot. As I screwed the light to the tripod, the rain began. A strong downfall of droplets splattered against the windows angrily--I pulled the black-out curtains across the windows and then pulled the set of white curtain across the adjacent wall. Just as I began to think she wouldn't show up because of the rain, she arrived.

Hair soaked and shirt dotted with raindrops, she began to ask questions. "So what do you want to shoot exactly?" Being a very open personality, she decided on her stomach as her biggest insecurity and immediately took off her t-shirt and camisole announcing that laying them on the table would allow them to dry faster anyways. I flicked on the "tapuz" and began to take some test shots. I was also nervous--this was my first time shooting a person in a studio, and here I was, photographing a classmate in only her bra and skinny jeans. I didn't exactly know what I was doing, but I knew the message I wanted this campaign to get across. I was fortunate to have such an earnest initiator to the campaign. She eagerly twisted her torso, grabbed her love handles--truly embracing her "pudge". After about 30 shots, I knew I had gotten the winning image.

She put her now-dry shirt back on, and we both packed our stuff up. It was a strange feeling knowing that I had just been allowed into someone's mind for a chunk of time--privied to their biggest body obstacle. As I took the light off the tripod and put the lens back on my camera, she broke the silence, "You know, that really was a liberating experience".

The Documentary

The Initiative & Process

Love the Pudge- A Photo Campaign.

Click on the link to watch the film my friend and I created about the process and results of the first batch of photos for the Love the Pudge campaign.

The Gallery

Curious attendees crowded the lobby of the Arazi-Ofer Building in the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzilya, Israel as the sun set last night. The 17 prints revealed featured a variety of body insecurities. What was most interesting for me to see were the reactions of the individuals featured in the photographs. A large portion were proud to point out which print featured their bodies--exposing what they once were ashamed of. This was a special moment for me because it perpetuated my strong belief in this campaign. When our insecurities can be acquired as a beautiful form rather than a fault, we can learn to accept and love ourselves and others. Another bonus to the evening was a screening of the documentary that a close friend of mine and I developed over the past few months that rippled inspiration through the venue. I am throuroughly impressed with the outcome of this event, and I hope that I can continue to inspire many.

The Countdown Begins...

The gallery is opening in less than a week! I am tying all the last pieces together for the big night. A friend suggested that I make symbolic bracelets that will be worn to represent a promise to love your body. I hope that after the night of the gallery I will see the wrists of most sporting a teal bracelet.

Gallery Reveal

All 17 prints are officially tangible and beautiful. It is surreal to see the body parts so much larger-than-life. I can hardly wait for the gallery debut in less than two weeks time! I hope that there is a big turnout. Right now I am working on getting a hold of a device on which I can show a documentary my friend and I filmed on the "Making of" the campaign. I also have to prepare a short introductory speech...(ahhh)

The 24th of this month is the date of the gallery, and the 25th will be the launch of the featured photographs online so my lovely blog-followers can take part in the revolution! So hang in there, I know you're all very eager to see the fruits of my labour.

My Challenge

Love the Pudge is not only a blog. In two weeks time, there will be a full-out gallery exposing the first batch of individuals who have chosen to bare their insecurities to the lens of my camera. Seventeen shots will be printed and mounted for public viewing. The point of this, however, is to not only empower those photographed, but also those who observe.

I have recently finished my last photoshoot and am currently in the process of printing. Today, I went to the printing shop in the city where the employee spoke very little english. I printed a test shot that measured about the span of my outstretched arms. Something was off, but I couldn't put a finger on it. I spent a good half an hour staring at the print. Finally I concluded that the print was in fact wider...giving the photographed girl a bit more "pudge" than she actually has in real. I told the employee that he must print it again with different dimensions so that the image doesn't get skewed. He told me the pixels were fine. I told him it wasn't the pixels but the image itself--He didn't understand. Finally, after some back and forth choppy translations and frantic hand gestures, he proudly stated his revelation, "Oh! You don't want her to look fat?" I snapped. I immediately defended the girl in the photograph, explaining that she is not at all fat, and that is exactly why I don't want the picture to look wider than she really is-- and then I had a revelation-- he meant fat only in its synonymous meaning to wide. I decided to print the rest of the photos after stressing to him how important it is for the photographs to be as true to real life as possible--in my broken Hebrew. I hope they come out well.

Back To Basics.

I think that we have lost touch with our roots. We need to reconnect with our natural, unique selves. Listen, your innards are speaking to you. They tell you what your body needs and when it needs it. Most of us have lost the ability to hear this voice and instead drown ourselves in the sea of "expert" suggestions such as raw food consumption or daily elliptical binges. Although these methods may work for some, they certainly do not work for all. For instance, some beings are naturally lazy. Our bodies don't do well in high-stress situations. This may mean that this individual would do better with exercise such as yoga or tai chi. Some bodies crave red meat, while others crave more grains or vegetables. This being said, I don't suggest that you "listen to your inner being" and consume an entire box of Oreos because "that's what your body was craving". It's deeper than a surface craving, which is generally connected to emotion, or simply eating for fun. Once one has the ability to hear what they need, one will realize the innate ability our bodies have to balance, craving the foods that retain the certain vitamins or minerals one needs. It will tell you when you need to sleep and for how long, and even que you on when to engage in physical activity.

I bet there are a bunch of you reading this and thinking that I am a complete loon. But I promise you, if you take the chance to try it, you will believe it too. Listen to what your body wants, and you will have no problem keeping yourself healthy. I'm for sure not perfect, and am still practicing the art of listening to my inner self. Because of this, I have a few daily guidelines I follow that at least simplify the abundance of information we have been bombarded with, and are pretty uniform within most of the human-kinds' bodily health needs.

1. Sleep is your best friend! General rule is 8 hours + a night

2. Maintain good posture

3. Be active at least 30 minutes a day (stairs beat elevator. every. time.)

4. Eat things that have: ingredients you can pronounce or small ingredient list or (the best) no ingredient list

5. Surround yourself with positive energy. Being nice to others means they are nice in return and kindness brings smiles which ultimately creates endorphins.

Keep Loving the Pudge

Beauty as I see it [Part 4]

Beauty in Leisure:

Curves and Gap-Teeth.

The aroma of cinnamon and sugar wafted from the oven as I piled a batch of freshly-baked oatmeal cookies onto a plate and placed it on the kitchen table. As we chewed, laptop centered between the three of us, we began to browse the internet.

We decided to check up on the latest posts on one of my favorite blogs, The Sartorialist, which depicts street style. I scrolled down a bit to find a post that featured a new fashion blogger Scott Schuman had met in Milan. She was beautiful--simply dressed, and completed her look with a pair of chunky royal blue heels. What was most exciting for Scott was the fact that she was a "curvy" girl who challenged the waif-like model image that has been established for the fashion blogging genre. He additionally complimented her seasoned ability to dress for her body. Followers of the blog flooded the comment section in outrage. How could Schuman say this girl was "curvy" when she was clearly of a "normal" size? Immediately an update was attached to the post apologizing to anyone who was insulted by the blogger's word use. But Scott didn't leave it at that. He challenged his audience by leaving them with an extremely valid thought : "So help me understand; what is the modern way to speak about size? [...] Let's not hide from this issue; I don't want to be afraid to talk about it on my blog. Help me describe this young lady without using the word "normal," but in a way that addresses her body size and still references my point about the size of her legs relative to her shoes". This brings me to another point. Are body-adjectives really necessary? I truly believe that there could never be a system of categorization that would escape insult in someone's books. A woman who is a size 6 could be described as both "slender" and "curvy" depending on who she is being compared to. And in this lies the point. All of the adjectives we have conjured up in society that categorize the human body only function when they have something to be compared to. Bodily juxtapositions are unhealthy and truly only lead to feelings of inefficiency within oneself.

As we finished up the plate of cookies our conversation expanded to the larger scope of the current trends in the media. I expressed my personal excitement over the glimmer of variance in body and beauty representation we are beginning to see. Individuals such as plus-size model Crystal Renn (an absolute personal favorite, read the book Hungry if you haven't already), and gap-toothed model Vanessa Paradis, the current face of Chanel are helping to change what is defined as "beautiful" within our society.

What's perfect about this growing trend of individuality is its timing. Once upon a time the media gave us trends. Now we control them. Grassroots --especially bloggers are responsible for the change we will and already see in the trends. What is defined as "beautiful" in society will be according to what we believe it is. So begin to believe that something unordinary about yourself is beautiful, because it is no longer in the hands of something bigger than us. It is us.

Beauty as I see it [Part 3]

Beauty in Not Taking Life Too Seriously:

The Struggle.

I wanted to discuss something that is eating away at many of us, including me, on a daily basis. It is a topic that is rarely breeched and therefore has become a silent ego-deteriorator, living under the surface of our skin. Yesterday I tried on a couple of dresses. Being fairly tall and a medium/large build, I have battled with loving my body for quite a long time. It doesn't help that I live in a country where the average height for women is 5'4"...significantly shorter and consequentially smaller than me. As I struggled with the first dress shifting it over my bust and immediately wiggling my hips out of it, I felt my confidence whither. The remainder of the day was spent looking into every mirrored-surface inspecting my "chubby upper arms" and "bloated belly". I would be a liar if I tried to remove myself from the majority of young adults who scrutinize their body parts for not being "perfect". But as I have mentioned before, what is perfect? Why do we all constantly strive to reach this non-existent goal, ignoring most of life around us while we do so?

I woke up this morning with the remainders of self-hatred from the day before. However, instead of continuing the animosity, I reminded myself that scrutiny leads us nowhere. Although I know this affirmation to be true, I also am aware of how often I forget it. We are creatures of habit and therefore must be reminded and reminded until the desired result becomes fluidly integrated into our daily lives.

I have promised myself that, from now on, my body's perfection will no longer be the main topic of inner concern. There are much more important things in life.

Love what you got.

Throughout history, the idea of a "perfect body" has fluctuated as frequently as the technology for music develops. The body has developed from flat flappers in the 1920's to the hourglass 50's, and finally whittling away to the rail thin trend of today. Meaning a trendy 90-year old woman would essentially resemble a pile of exhausted body-goop by 2011. Why do we all insist in following the trends? Is it beautiful for us all to look alike? The concept of "Thinking thin" may be scattered all over the pages of the media, but this should not be a mental note to oneself to starve until one's curves erode away to nothing. I'm not suggesting that naturally thin girls shouldn't be themselves, however, I am suggesting that everyone embrace what their mama gave them. Maybe you were meant to have the healthy build of the 50's or the boyish figure of the 20's. Forget about "losing those last 5 pounds" or "going to the gym to bulk up". Go out for a walk and enjoy the fragrance of nature. Laugh with friends over a good cappuccino. And although the majority of the population today choose to listen to music through MP3 technology over retro mediums, there are still those few who choose to listen to CDs, which still work just as well. Take a moment to think about how it would be to go against the trend of MP3 and enjoy your old CD collection--rediscovering songs you used to love. Rediscover your body; the fact that our legs enable us to walk, our hands to hold things. Love your body shape the way it is, regardless if you're rail thin or voluptuous, muscular or a lanky build. I imagine if we all walked around looking the like identical prints of each other our lives would be quite boring.

Beauty as I see it [part 2]

Beauty in Friendship:

Beauty as I see it.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and beauty also lies in every thing. I believe that we must work to see the beauty that exists around us. Part of the reason why I enjoy photography is that it has given me the opportunity to capture the segments of life I think are most beautiful.

Beauty in Difference:

Eating Guidelines

I'm a strong believer in eating what you want when you want. Through all of the smog and clouds of diet information and trends, there have been valuable tidbits that suggest we should simply just enjoy our food. This idea is referenced in books such as French Women Don't Get Fat, and Women Food and God. Battling with diets and ways of thinking about food for years, I have recently adopted the idea of simple eating. Lamenting over calories gets you nowhere. If you listen close enough, your body tells you exactly what it wants. Believe it or not, there are times when I crave broccoli. Of course I must eat chocolate, but you'd be surprised how much less this desire occurs.

Geneen Roth's book Women Food and God suggests, in my opinion, one of the most practical guides to detoxifying the diet madness we have all become slaves to:

1.Eat when you're hungry

2.Eat sitting down in a calm environment

3.Eat without distractions. i.e. radio, tv, newspapers, books, magazines, anxiety-producing conversation, or music

4.Eat what your body wants

5.Eat until you are satisfied

6.Eat (with the intention of being) in full view of others

7.Eat with enjoyment, gusto and pleasure.

A new way of thinking.

I would like to simplify the way we think about food, our bodies, and living.

In the year of 2011 we are over-informed about how we can best achieve healthy long lives by turning to novel medicines, diet techniques, and fad exercises. The obsession with what and how we eat has inflated to unhealthy proportions and has in fact counteracted what it was initially established to do. We all have an innate ability which enables us to crave the foods which we individually need, as well as letting us know how and when to exert energy--the essentials to health. These internal signals are unfortunately drowned out by the over saturation of mass produced information spoon fed to work for all.

It is imperative that we revert to a healthier way of thinking. By sifting through the "media clutter" we will be able to live happier, simpler lives. Who said that eating and taking care of our bodies has to be mundane?