Vulnerability is the highest power of empowerment. In this series, I focus on the raw form of the female body while revealing her unique contours, textures, and im-PERFECTIONS, allowing each to reveal the beauty and a testament of her lived experiences and personal strengths. Presenting these images in black-and-white, allows me to highlight what is truly the most essential… the dance of light and shadow, unmasking the honesty revealed by every line and curve of her body. This approach allows the embrace of vulnerability, illustrating that true empowerment begins when we let the world view us precisely as we are. This careful attention gives me the opportunity to observe when her confidence emerges in a subtle yet powerful way.

  My motivation for this series all starts with my own battle of hatred and self-love. I am a survivor of sexual assault by a superior during my active-duty Air Force service. I fought many years with hating myself and hating my body. Eventually, I vowed myself not to let another woman feel that pain and burden. Women are beautiful. Women are strong. Women are POWERFUL. The most beautiful thing is we know that true empowerment demands our willingness to be vulnerable with ourselves.

  I created Empowering Lines to celebrate the power of the feminine, to rethink traditional notions of the nude image, and to appreciate and honor the female body as a statement of self-determination rather than a target of objectification. The importance of this series is to celebrate and uplift the mental and physical strength while humanizing and honoring the often overlooked, underappreciated, and often mistreated natural female forms. At the same time, redefining beauty through an “empowering” lens. Revealing our vulnerability, we ultimately stand our ground in our power.