Artists capture 1,0001 bare bottoms for body positivity
Two childhood friends are on a mission to photograph the bare backsides of 1,001 women to show that beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and derrières.
After exploring their own discomfort with their bodies, Montreal-based artists Emilie Mercier and Frédérique Marseille created the '1,001 Fesses' or '1,001 Bums' project with the aim of easing other women's insecurities about their bottoms.
For nearly three years, Mercier and Marseille have been collecting images of anonymous women of various ages and shapes as a way to 'address a widespread obsession' of women 'hating [their] backsides'.
Bare: Montreal-based artists Emilie Mercier and Frédérique Marseille are capturing photos of women's backsides for their '1001 Fesses ' or '1001 Bums' project
Finding the beauty: They created the project with the aim of easing other women's insecurities about their bottoms
Embracing self-love: The project was inspired by Mercier and Marseille's own struggles with body image
'We are trying to create a visual poem by taking pictures of all kind of women…and bums!' they explained on their site.
Mercier and Marseille have been best friends since they were 12 years old, and they recall watching their own bodies change from childhood to adulthood.
'We have seen our bodies change from childhood to adulthood and this intimacy in our friendship made us think: why not collect pictures of all kinds of bums?' they wrote.
'Maybe we would discover how crazy it is to hate our own bodies and simply see how unique each and every woman is. And, this way, start loving ourselves a little bit better.'
Ongoing: Mercier and Marseille have been collecting images of anonymous women of various ages and shapes for the past three years
From the beginning: Mercier and Marseille started the project in November 2014
Uniting women: 'We have been collecting the beauty of the female form in an attempt to address a widespread obsession: hating our backsides,' they explain on their website
Variety: The images are taken in a variety of settings, including in nature and inside the women's homes
Stunning: The women use a Mamiya 645 film camera to capture the shots, which are taken in daylight
The women, who use a Mamiya 645 film camera to capture the shots, never show their subjects faces or name or reveal their identities.
The anonymity allows them to focus on the 'beauty in every shape' and the 'beauty in female identity'.
As part of the campaign, they have featured over 600 volunteer models on the project's social media accounts, which include Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr.
Mercier and Marseille started the project in November 2014, and a little over a year later, in December 2015, they launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for them to travel around the world to capture more women's bare bottoms.
Anonymous: Mercier and Marseille never show their subjects faces or name or reveal their identities
Goals: They launched a crowdfunding campaign in December 2015 to raise money for them to travel around the world to capture more women's bare bottoms
International: Mercier and Marseille have photographed subjects in Quebec, France, Belgium and Switzerland, and they hope to make their way around the world
Looking to the future: The artists hope to one day have the images featured in a photography book based on their project
So far, they've photographed subjects in Quebec, France, Belgium and Switzerland, and they hope to make their way around the world.
However, the project hit a bump in the road when Facebook deleted the 1001 Fesses page in December 2016, citing 'pornographic content'.
'This page counted 6,500 followers, an important community taking part in the body-diversity movement and anti-censorship of female beauty,' they explained on their site. 'We are now trying to re-build this community, one open-minded follower at a time.'
Although they now have over 5,400 Facebook followers, they continue to battle the company's nudity policy.
Road block: The project hit a bump in the road when Facebook deleted the 1001 Fesses page in December 2016, citing 'pornographic content'
Struggle: 'It's so hard to create an online community around the subjects of body, self esteem, woman emancipation and desexualizing nudity,' they recently explained on Instagram
Participants needed: Mercier and Marseille are actively looking for new models on their private Facebook group
Mercier and Marseille revealed on Sunday that Facebook and Instagram have censored their posts and pages 'once again'.
'It's so hard to create an online community around the subjects of body, self esteem, woman emancipation and desexualizing nudity,' they wrote.
'We hope our pages won't be shut down the same way it happened 2 years ago,' the added, using the hastags '#nudityisnotporn #naturalizenudity #desexualization #artisnotporn #notobscene'.
Despite their struggles with censorship, the women are dedicated to growing their project with more photos, which they one day hope to use in a photography book.
Mercier and Marseille are actively looking for new models and encourage anyone who is interested to join their private group on Facebook.