Odvážni ľudia nechali zvečniť svoje jazvy, ktoré im často spôsobujú psychické problémy. Séria fotografií potvrdzuje, že sa netreba hanbiť

Jazvy sú prirodzenou súčasťou života človeka a na našich telách sa objavujú z najrozličnejších dôvodov. Napriek tomu dokážu spôsobovať obrovské psychické problémy, pretože si ľudia myslia, že ich za jazvy budú ostatní odsudzovať, vysmievať sa im alebo ich pokladať za menejcenných.

Našťastie, naša spoločnosť sa vyvinula tak, že v súčasnosti môžeme byť v takmer akejkoľvek téme otvorení a jazvy nie sú výnimkou. Fotografka Sophie Mayenne preto vytvorila projekt s názvom Behind The Scars, pomocou ktorého chcela pomôcť práve ľuďom s jazvami otvoriť sa svetu a zbaviť sa svojich zbytočných obáv z toho, že ich spoločnosť odsunula na vedľajšiu koľaj.

Sophie si povedala, že ak prostredníctvom svojich fotografií bude môcť dokázať pomôcť čo i len jedinej osobe, bude ju považovať za úspešnú, a to ani nečakala, že získa desiatky ľudí ochotných zhodiť zo seba svoje oblečenie a vystaviť často intímne jazvy na obdiv. Sophie by zo svojej série chcela jedného dňa spraviť aj knihu a ak jej to takto pôjde aj naďalej, zrejme to nebude nesplniteľný cieľ.

An out take of the lovely @mbajsb for @girlgazeproject - head to her Instagram for some of her story!

Příspěvek sdílený SOPHIE MAYANNE (@sophiemayanne), Led 6, 2018 v 11:33 PST

#behindthescars Abi “I was diagnosed with a rare and extremely aggressive form of cancer called Osteosarcoma when I was 27 years old. Doctor’s think that I had the tumour since I was 26. My right arm was aching whilst I was sleeping - everyone I would chop vegetables, and get dressed. I went to see a chiropractor - he moved my arm around and I screamed very loudly. He just said that I had damaged my muscle and said I was very dramatic. Unknown to him, what lay behind my “dramatic” scream was something quite sinister. I was living in South Africa, Cape Town and had recently received my visa to live there. I was working with ant-sex trafficking victims and supporting abused women and children. I had just started helping out at a support group, when one of the girls approached me and said “Hey, you don't know me very well, but I wanted to let you know that I’ve had 3 vivid dreams about you in a row now. In them you come to my house, and when I wake up I feel God’s presence, so I really feel that you need to come to my house.” I’m quite a spiritual person, and had dreams in my childhood that had come true, so I thought I'd go and see her. The day I went to her house she wasn’t actually in. as I was walking out of her courtyard, I had a sense that her dog was going to go for me. The dog looked chilled, so I just shut the gate and as I put my hand through the gate to lock it, I heart the dog bark, and jump up to bite m, so I gently jumped back and my arm completely snapped as I landed. My friend took me to the Doctors. I was sent for a scar and it showed that I had a very clean break. The Doctor’s face dropped when she saw my scan. she booked me in to see another Doctor the next morning. I was in so much pain I didn’t really question why I was seeing another Doctor. When I saw him the following morning he asked me a lot of the typical cancer questions - Have you lost weight, have you passed blood, and so on. He said something had been eroding my bone- my heart was pounding thinking of all the things it could possibly be. He then said those dreaded words that literally took my breath away - you most probably have cancer. Continued in comments

Příspěvek sdílený SOPHIE MAYANNE (@sophiemayanne), Led 5, 2018 v 11:44 PST

#behindthescars Yasmin “My tumour changed my life in so many ways. A life changing operation to remove the tumour, the size of a grapefruit gave me self acceptance on a level that was truly unconditional. In 2012 I was diagnosed with non Hodgkin's lymphoma. Cancer wasn’t an issue, what was was the discovery of a huge tumour. It was benign, but sizeable. Attached to my liver, a bunch of nerves and my main artery to my leg. Five hours of surgery, a deflated hung, my diaphragm put on halt, a bypass with my insides out on a table. My fear going into surgery was the long term affects and how my body would recover. Will my boyfriend still love me, will he still find me attractive, will any man find me acceptable to look at? The truth was, it taught me to love myself hard, without compromise. Inside and out, there was a journey of total acceptance. My amazing body had not failed me yet, so who was I to not love it back for keeping me alive? The message is simple - we are provided with a beautiful vessel to carry our soul. It works so hard to support us daily - the love I have for my body is insurmountable. It allows me to be my glorious self - I am a very lucky girl.” @missyasminibrahim

Příspěvek sdílený SOPHIE MAYANNE (@sophiemayanne), Pro 9, 2017 v 5:08 PST

#behindthescars Gemma “My body is littered with scars from troubles times. For a long time it felt like a battleground. My relationship with my body and it’s scars hasn’t been an easy one. Yes as I have grown older I have become less inclined to give a shit what people think. I have come to see my body as a wonderful gift - it is uniquely mine, it has taught me things nothing else could, it is resilient and it is beautiful. My body and I are now an army and my scars an exquisite reminder of my strength. Being a part of Behind The Scars feels like being in a safe space where Sophie allows all our stories and scars merge to create something empowering, joyful and deeply healing. Today I feel like I can show myself…” shot on @huaweimobileuk P10 for @dazed #RevealTheRealYou @gemmabanks

Příspěvek sdílený SOPHIE MAYANNE (@sophiemayanne), Pro 2, 2017 v 1:16 PST

#behindthescars Chloe “I started self harming when I was 13 and have struggled with it ever since. The issue with self harming is it gets progressively worse and you end up doing more and more damage to yourself than you think is possible when you first start. It truly is an addiction and you get to a point where surgeons tell you that plastic surgery can’t fix the appearance of the scars, so the only thing you can do is love your scars so much that all the negative connections that come along with self harm slowly disappear - along with all the pain attached to the scars. My scars tell my story, and I’m never going to let anyone else’s thoughts or opinions change that. “ @_chl.o shot on Huawei P10 @huaweimobileuk for @dazed #RevealTheRealYou

Příspěvek sdílený SOPHIE MAYANNE (@sophiemayanne), Lis 29, 2017 v 9:14 PST

#behindthescars Felicity “My body is, and has always been scattered with freckles and moles. Too many to keep track of. Last year I noticed one had changed and seemed darker and more misshapen than before. I saw several doctors, all of whom said it was nothing to worry about - but I pushed to get tested and was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma insitu. Luckily this is the very early stage of skin cancer, so it was caught with plenty of time. It was treated by removing 5mm of skin from the area. At the time I just felt so relieved. However, this summer I again noticed a mole looked darker and misshapen. This time round I was more anxious, stressed and very scared. Again I was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma. This time it was further along in its growth, meaning I had to have 1cm of skin removed. It’s very rare to be diagnosed twice at such a young age, and hearing the world “melanoma” and “cancer” really shook me. I’m so grateful that my skin cancer was caught early - the scars are a small price to pay. They will always be a reminder of how lucky I am, and how short life can potentially be. I would rather have a body adorned with scars, and the hope of a future - than an early death and a flawless corpse.”

Příspěvek sdílený SOPHIE MAYANNE (@sophiemayanne), Říj 13, 2017 v 12:15 PDT

#behindthescars Eve “I remember the night that I gave myself the scars on my wrist. They are not obvious as I wear my tiffany and co bangle over them. I suppose I do that to give the scar a little shine. I was living by myself in a 5th floor flat. It was a very low point. I’m not proud of them. I had the will and I gave it power. I was going nowhere in my life, I was 22, and felt like I had reached a dead end after Uni. I look down at my wrist and see the slithers of silver and hate them. It’s a reminder of how low my self worth was, how little I cared for me. I’m pretty secretive, and do a lot of slight hand movements to cover it. I’m not proud, I didn’t give myself the grace that I wish I did, and that I give to others. My thigh scars are from a night clubbing where I put myself in trouble. I left my house underage. My parents were out at work. I had the opportunity to go home and turn off the storm, but I didn’t. The evening is still a blur. Now I joke about the alcohol and the inappropriate outfit. I remember looking down at my phone and seeing 180+ missed called from my dad, mum, home and family restaurant. I cut my thigh on the axle of a car trailer. My parents never trusted me again until I was 18. It’s a hard reminder, as I had a choice.”. @getdownwiththeorient

Příspěvek sdílený SOPHIE MAYANNE (@sophiemayanne), Říj 9, 2017 v 12:01 PDT

#behindthescars Mercy “My scars are from a fire related to domestic abuse. I got burnt at the age of 29, and it’s been a difficult journey coming to terms with it. The comfort I take from my scars is they make me who I am today. I call them my most precious, and expensive piece of jewellery I own. I have survived and if having my picture taken, and exposing my scars can help anyone else then that’s good for me!.”

Příspěvek sdílený SOPHIE MAYANNE (@sophiemayanne), Zář 26, 2017 v 11:56 PDT

#behindthescars Agnes In 1997 at the age of 7 i survived a gas explosion. I have undergone 27 reconstructive surgeries. I have always been comfortable with my scars, to me they are beautiful and they tell you different stories. They are special.” @iamtherealbabyg

Příspěvek sdílený SOPHIE MAYANNE (@sophiemayanne), Zář 5, 2017 v 10:35 PDT

#behindthescars Hannah "My body is a merry-go-round of scars - new ones arrive, choose a pitch and nest amongst the constellation etched into my skin. In time, some will fade until I can’t even remember the first time I pressed my finger to puckered flesh and welcomed them to the gang. There are self-harm scars that go back further than I care to remember, some so faint I forget that they’re there until a fluorescent changing room light flickers them into view, others stark with mottled tissue. There are skin biopsy bubbles, surgery scars and a tapestry of tokens from happy drunken mishaps that I will never forget. It’s a canvas that, by and large, I have come to accept, laugh at and learn from. The deepest layer of scarring, however, always been the trickiest to tame. The scars that ripple across my body are an unexchangeable gift from an autoimmune disease called morphea. The nature of the disease means my skin will probably never stop acquiring these new buddies; instead, they’ll come and go in shades of “fuck you”. There are old bruises slowly fading into a web on my stomach from the first two bouts, calcified white patches that are reaching fever pitch and shiny lesions that have only just stirred. If they were static I’m sure I’d be further along in learning to love all of the skin I’m in, but their tempestuous nature makes them hard to ignore. Some days they are so sensitive a brush of fabric can send shivers down my spine and showering has turned into an odd dance I never fancied learning - jumping from sensitivity to hot water, then cold water and then to scrubbing. Although - with a little push and an attempt to see them from a true outsiders perspective - I am learning to love each one as they arrive. They are a part of me: each freckle, mole, scar, tattoo, bruise, and lesion is threaded into the rainbow suit of skin I’m in. So, I’m going to embrace each new stripe because they are a reminder of every battle I’ve fought in this body. As I collect new scars, I will learn to navigate each and every evolution as it arises. " @hannahshewanstevens

Příspěvek sdílený SOPHIE MAYANNE (@sophiemayanne), Srp 30, 2017 v 8:42 PDT

#behindthescars Ellen "I have scarring and stretch marks on my left leg due to the condition Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency (PFFD), a condition I was born with. This meant going through multiple operations at a young age. I have started to feel confident about my scars in the last few years, accepting them and embracing them." @ell_en_

Příspěvek sdílený SOPHIE MAYANNE (@sophiemayanne), Srp 5, 2017 v 1:17 PDT