Photographer captures what mother's bodies really look like in series of intimate portraits

Aimee and Jenna Hobbs were spurred to take photos of the women after they found many new mothers opting to remove themselves from family portraits

(Hobbs Photography)

It’s remarkable how much pressure and scrutiny women’s bodies are placed under even when they have been through one of the most challenging and overwhelming experiences of their life.

From the constant dissection of famous women’s “post-baby bodies” to the endless list of products promising to banish stretch marks incurred through pregnancy, the pressures on women to not look like they have had a baby – when they frankly have more important things to take care of now – is pervasive.

Afte realising these pressures, two photographers have sought to capture what mother’s bodies really look like in a series of intimate portraits of women and their children.

Aimee and Jenna Hobbs of Hobbs Photography, based in Alberta, Canada, presented their ‘A Mother’s Beauty’ project last year.

“Celebrating those wide hips that delivered babies, those scars left behind, the wear and tear on our bodies and mind that we take daily from this journey we call motherhood," they wrote on an introductory post on Facebook. “Celebrating postpartum, motherhood and real beauty. A mother’s beauty.”

Aimee said the idea for the project came after she noticed more and more mothers were choosing to be absent from new family photos they were commissioned to take. Or, upon receiving samples of the photos, new mothers would tend to pick photos which did not include them.

“It broke our hearts to see mums effectively removing themselves from the visual narrative of their family, whether intentionally or unintentionally,” she told Huff Post.

Many of the pictures shared on Facebook also have captions from interviews the Hobbs’ did with the women which hear the mothers speak of their hopes for their children. Some of the women had older children as the photographers’ main aim was to celebrate women regardless of when they had their child.

“Having a baby changes your body, but it also changes your heart and mind,” Mother-of-two Alyssa, 26, told the project. “You don’t need to look like who you were before because you are no longer that person. You are better.”

Kai, 31, who was pictured with her son told them she felt exposed at first while posing for the picture in just her underwear. However, once she focused on her son, her insecurities went away.

“I focused on my son, his little hands holding tight onto me, his legs squeezed around my hip and those eyes looking up at me. He didn’t care how I looked or that my tummy was sticking out, he was just happy I was there.”