How This Photographer Uses Lingerie Selfies To Make A Political Statement

Known for her soft lit photos and her softer body, Chloe Sheppard has started turning the camera to herself as often as she has her friends and muses. While she continues to smash it shooting campaigns for big brands, Sheppard particularly excels in self-portraiture. Images that combine the selfie culture with her romantic and feminine view on the world; selfies through a lens that’s bigger than your iPhone camera.

‘I always put off photographing myself and turned my lens onto other girls, because I hated the way I looked and didn’t want to be reminded of it.’ Sheppard described her transition into self-portraiture, ‘When I started to photograph myself more, typically in mirrors and positioning my camera to hide my double chin, but as time has passed and I’ve taken more portraits of myself, I feel like I’ve become more at ease and show myself in a more honest light.’

Sheppard’s photos invoke sweetness and melancholia in turn. She emphasizes nostalgia through her poses, her vintage lingerie and rose littered surroundings. Reminiscent of a Lana Del Rey video or ‘0s film vixen, Sheppard replaces the typical thin damsel in bedroom scenes with her own fat frame. In turn, she becomes a public figure and a representative for the next generation of plus size teens to recognize themselves in.

‘Wearing lingerie adds another level of vulnerability to my photos. When I walk down the street or sit on the tube I can always feel eyes on me, I feel like people are always staring at my big burden of a body and thinking negative things about it, so taking photos where I’m hardly wearing anything is kind of just a fuck you to everyone who thinks I take up too much space and shouldn’t reveal myself.’ Sheppard explained during our discussion on body positivity.

Quickly, Sheppard realised that selfies and self-portraiture - the two go hand in hand throughout her work - were so much more than an act of vanity to preserve her youth on film. The images often applauded on social media, inspired her strong and often young fan base to explore body positivity, fat acceptance and self-love.

‘The first time I took a self-portrait that was a stark contrast to my usual “face framing to look thinner” photos, it bared my fat stomach and stretch marks and was out of anger towards companies that I feel falsely coin the “body positive” term. It was then that it kind of clicked in my mind that I can use my body with power, and to send a message - that I could become the fat girl that’s trying to represent other people that look like her, that I wish I could have seen online when I was 14, impressionable and resented absolutely everything about my body.'

In 2018, it definitely feels like Sheppard has become the role model she needed in her youth. She engages often with her followers, fans and even haters, discussing the nuances of the social movement that revolutionised how she saw herself. Being outspoken is an asset to Sheppard - she finds confidence not only with her photography but also with her words and open debate across her social media.

‘When I refer to my body type, I am talking about being fat, something that is not represented fairly in mainstream media by any means.’ She commented, ‘Body positivity has shown me a way to see myself in a positive light, introduced me to other activists who champion people like myself and don’t beg change of them in the same way that society consistently does.’

Sheppard’s tips for shooting a body positive selfie seem personal to her, but they are flexible enough to be applied to your own interests. ‘For me, it’s about surrounding myself with things that are sentimental, that I relate to, and not trying too hard. To feel comfortable, I’ll play my favourite songs, and do my make up in a style I probably wouldn’t wear outside of the house but still, want to capture on film.’ She explains, ‘I think taking an empowering self-portrait is about being authentic, looking how you really look and wearing something that makes you feel good, whether that be wearing lingerie, or wearing a hoodie and flared jeans like I do most days.’

‘Take up as much space as you possibly can in the photo, as girls we have constantly been made to feel like we should shrink ourselves, so defy that and own the frame. If you feel particularly strong about a topic, like environmentalism or feminism, bring pieces of that into the photo, draw all over the final photo with phrases that mean something to you. Empowering self-portraits, to me, are ultimately what show myself off the most and without trying to sound to cliché, it’s about self-expression and not being afraid to resist conventions.

Chloe Sheppard also included a reading list on fat activism:

Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls by Jes Baker

Shrill by Lindy West

Hunger by Roxane Gay

What’s Wrong with Fat? by Abigail Saguy

This article originally appeared on The Debrief.