Photographer's Raw, Intimate Breastfeeding Photos Aim to Break Down Stigmas
Photographer Ivette Ivens has been working for three years to diminish the shame surrounding breastfeeding in public.
Since no breastfeeding story is the same, Ivens (mother to a two-year-old and a five-year-old) uses her lens to show how different women - from breastfeeding women who have diabetes, women who conceived their baby via a surrogate, and women with extremely busy work schedules - breastfeed. "I realized how divine and powerful a woman is, and I had to capture it with my camera," she told The Huffington Post.
Ivens' photos combine the beauty of natural landscapes or intimate home settings with the raw yet powerful images of women breastfeeding. "I believe that the more people look at these photos, the more they'll understand that breastfeeding is a natural thing, and it's nothing to be ashamed of," Ivens said. "I want people to become comfortable with this."
It's definitely working for her subjects. One of Ivens' clients shared, "I am proud of my body for letting me breastfeed for an amazing 16 months. I have nursed while grocery shopping, in the car, at the pool, and never once did I cover up. It's natural and ain't nobody got time to be covered! Whether you nurse or use formula it doesn't matter."
Ivens book, titled Breastfeeding Goddess, features a collection of her breastfeeding images, and the photographer is working on a second edition.
Take a look at some of Ivens' inspirational work below:
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[h/t The Huffington Post]
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