When it comes to the way society views people living with disabilities, there are certain words that almost always make an appearance. Like inspiration. Moving. Overcome. Suffers from. Brave. Sound familiar? But there’s one word that you don’t hear a lot of when referring to people living with disabilities: sexy. The Raw Beauty Project hopes to change that.
What started as a small fundraiser for The Center for Independent Living has now become a national partnership between mobileWOMEN.org and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. From the project’s website:
“Raw Beauty NYC” is an innovative visual arts project designed to inspire the public to create new perceptions, transform stereotypes and breakthrough personal obstacles by expanding awareness of women with physical challenges. This photography exhibit is a collaboration between photographers and twenty women living with various types of disabilities that showcases their beauty, empowerment and sensuality. The audience glimpses into the lives of these incredible women through photography and biography.
Pretty cool, huh? All the photos are shot by celebrity and high-profile fashion photographers, and will be featured in an exhibition at ACA Gallery in New York starting September 20. You can get a sneak peek of the exhibit in this video:
All the funds raised in this exhibition will support the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, whose mission is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research, and improving the quality of life for people living with paralysis through grants, information and advocacy. Want to attend the exhibit opening? You can purchase tickets to the event here.
We want to hear from you! What do you think about this project? Why do you think it is important?
