“What happened that day was that we suddenly existed in a parallel plane where everyone’s only objective was to give and receive respect and admiration. What I discovered was that discomfort and self consciousness suffer greatly in a place where real acceptance or support lives on. Imagine that. Nobody tried to be beautiful or powerful, they just were because the space existed for us to be. We vacuum sealed out judgement and suddenly my heart grew bigger than I knew was possible. I’ll always carry this experience with me as it was greater than the time we spent photographing. It opened a window into a new way of being.”

“I think it’s really hard to be confident as a woman on a regular basis in the “real world” where women are judged so much more harshly than men, since men with any degree of money, power, or talent get a fucking pass for everything. So to be in a room full of women that are talented, funny, smart, warm, diverse, etc. is kind of the ultimate comfort zone (I can only imagine how amazing it must feel to be a straight man in any board room). If that room had been all women that looked more or less the same AND THEN me, or if there were only two of us, there’s no way I could’ve been comfortable having these photos taken. So for me, the number of women and the diversity and range were all necessary to make me feel confident and “pretty” enough to have such naked/vulnerable photos shot. Also, posing is definitely harder than it looks!”

“What I loved most about the shoot with Jessie was witnessing the collective empowerment within the group. Women everywhere are igniting from within and breaking barriers to come out behind their veils. The shoot was a beautiful way to express ourselves authentically with strength, owning our divine feminine power.”

“I was reminded that day beauty is not what pleases and I’m not here to please anyone”

“​Such a diverse group of woman came together with similar goals in mind which felt empowering.
It felt great to be surrounded in such a positive environment”

“Going into this shoot Jessie told me to wear what made me feel beautiful and strong. This poses a strong question of what actually makes me feel beautiful and strong, how can I escape constructs of beauty that are so deeply engrained in our society and influenced and warped by the male gaze? How do we claim our choices for what we wear (or don’t) as autonomous choices? Feeling overwhelmed by the subject I quickly grabbed my favorite pair of pants, assuring myself this act of instinct would correspond with autonomy. Once at the shoot surrounded by female friends new and old meaningful discussions on equality, social constructs and sexuality emerged (followed by a lot of dancing) and progressed for the rest of the night. Without realizing it, I became less aware of what I looked like and more aware of how I felt. I felt seen and heard. I am reminded of this feeling every time I look at one of these photos. My love and reverence for the womyn in this shoot runs deep!”

““Underwear or no underwear?”

The responses varied between, NO UNDIES! and WHATEVER YOU WANT! Nobody said, “definitely underwear.”

Originally from a place where underwear is a requirement, San Francisco has taught me a new and beloved mentality. Throw the norm out the window. Be prepared to get naked with strangers while discussing politics and sexuality, it says. Thank you SF!

I chose tights and no undies. A red scarf made its way to me through the eyes and hands of visionary women. Suddenly, I’m back-bending over a couch like I was born for this.

I was stunned and thrilled to see the images that resulted from the shoot. Powerful and timeless. The encouragement and respect I felt for and from everyone in the room that day made this possible. And most of these women I had met that very day.

Broad City would have me saying this was some fine witchery… Allow me to elaborate. Women have the power to raise each other up, to demonstrate to each other that we can and will love our bodies. Many of us will continue to commiserate over the fact that we’re searching to redefine what sexy is, and what it feels to be strong, powerful and beautiful. The conversation helps me get there.

One more thing. Had nothing else happened that day, the silly, wild dance party that ensued after the photoshoot would have been just as valuable. Beauty is new friendship. Power is letting go. Strength is a belly laugh, a shimmy, a leap.”