All Women Are Real, So Stop Drawing Artificial Lines

It's Time To Stop Using The Word 'Real' When Referring To Women
|
Open Image Modal

A number of us at xoJane had quite an emotional conversation earlier this week about this article at takepart profiling the work of photographer Jade Beall. She's been working on an amazing project photographing the bodies of post-partum cis women, often with their children, to showcase the ways pregnancy changes the body, and how radically different individual bodies can look after pregnancy. It's a striking counterpoint to the idea that post-baby bodies need to be whipped back into shape and hidden away until they're up to snuff again -- these are images of women with stretch marks and squishy tummies and other legacies of pregnancy, and they are beautiful.

Yet, for some of us, the framing of Beall's work was offputting, and it distracted us from the project itself.

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost