We're not survivors - we're warriors: Women who have beaten breast cancer pose nude in powerful photos revealing their enduring strength
Breast cancer survivors have revealed their strength and beauty in a powerful new photo series that sees them posing nude, bravely baring their mastectomy scars.
Shot by photographer Isis Charise, the striking images in Grace reveal the raw resilience of these woman as they emulate figures of antiquity like Athena and Venus.
'It is my hope that these images create a doorway that leads to further acceptance of the post mastectomy body,' she explained. 'Not only for women who live with the challenge of breast cancer, but also for their partners, families and caregivers.'
Powerful: In photographer Isis Charise's striking Grace series, breast cancer survivors bare their mastectomy scars while striking goddess-inspired poses, revealing their beauty and raw resilience
Inspiration: 'I considered that if I photographed my subjects with a classical context in mind, that it would create a window for both the subject and the viewer to access a place of acceptance and beauty,' she said
In one of the photos called the Empress, an elderly woman basks in the sunlight outdoors with a scarf placed strategically across her lap.
Another, which is named Birth of Venus, sees a woman standing on a stone bench with one leg crossed in front of the other and her hands crossed on her chest, mimicking the pose from the Botticelli painting.
'Venus was the goddess of beauty,' the photographer explains on her Facebook page. 'And a person could view the mastectomy experience as a rebirth.'
'It is my hope that these images create a doorway that leads to further acceptance of the post mastectomy body'
Ms Charise told MailOnline that she chose to have her models pose like goddesses and mythical figures to highlight their similarities.
'The Venus Di Milo came to mind,' she said. 'I had always pondered the fact that one of the objects in the world that we consider to represent ultimate beauty had no arms, and yet we still view her as the pinnacle of beauty.
Goddess: In a photo named Birth of Venus, a woman stands on a stone bench with one leg in front of the other and her hands crossed on her chest, mimicking the pose from the Botticelli painting
Bold and beautiful: Pallas Athena, a reference to the Greek goddess of courage, strength and warfare
'Also the Nike of Samothrace, delicate and even more beautiful in her brokenness,' she added.
'I considered that if I photographed my subjects within this classical context in mind, that it would create a window for both the subject and the viewer to access a place of acceptance and beauty.'
She adds on her website that these 'dismembered artifacts have survived the trauma of history and are still valued as objects of beauty within our culture.'
In a photo she has named Eponina, a breast cancer survivor lies down in the fetal position, a grey blanket underneath her in a circular shape, forming a halo.
The power of two: A mother and daughter who both survived breast cancer pose together in a heartwarming photo called Mater et Filia
Alive: This woman's photo is called Sekmet after the Egyptian warrior goddess who also represents healing
Another image sees a woman bravely exposing the scars on her breasts as she holds the plaster of a woman's chest.
Ms Charise - who has worked for years as a professional boudoir and pin-up photographer - was inspired to create her Grace series after a man called and asked if she'd do a shoot for his wife.
Venus was the goddess of beauty, anda person could view the mastectomy experience as a rebirth'
'The day of the shoot a gorgeous and vivacious woman turned up to the shoot determined to remain clothed through the shoot,' recalled Ms Charise.
'I had no qualms with that. A boudoir shoot is about expressing a sensual side of yourself, not necessarily being naked.
'After some time into the shoot she confessed to me that she was a 12-year breast cancer survivor and that she was ashamed of one of her breasts which is why she wanted to keep it covered.'
Origins: Ms Charise was inspired to create Grace after a 'cathartic moment' in which a breast cancer survivor unveiled her scars during a photo shoot, thereby letting go of her shame
Athena: 'Not only did this beautiful woman have to fight for her life, but she had to fight to convince her doctors that no reconstruction was the right option for her,' Ms Charise wrote on Facebook
As the shoot went on, the woman continued to cover her scarred breast until she finally decided to let go of her shame.
'There she was laying on the couch in all of her glory when suddenly she threw off her clothes and said "F*** it! I'm doing this for myself!' explained Ms Charise.
'In that moment I witnessed a woman who had carried 12 years of shame surrounding her body let go and accept herself, scarred breast and all as she was.
Enchanting: This photo takes its inspiration from Rhiannon, a magical creature in Welsh mythology
Family photo: The Three Graces features three sisters who were all diagnosed with breast cancer within six months of each other. Their mother also struggled with the disease when they were teens
Empowering: Ms Charise's ongoing project has received much positive feedback, and she's currently raising money through NYFA to photograph more women with the help of donations
'It was an incredibly powerful and cathartic moment for both of us.'
Ms Charise's ongoing project has received much positive feedback, and she's currently raising money through NYFA to photograph more women with the help of donations.
'You certainly are doing a great job,' one person commented on her website. 'I bow to these wonderful women that have come forward and been photographed, their bravery and beauty is something incredible. 'They are very special women.'
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