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  • 'A Beautiful Body' Book Project Jade Beall, Photographer, Celebrates Mothers' Real Bodies


    When Jade Beall published a series of self-portraits of her semi-nude postpartum body online -- and a followup semi-nude photo of a friend that got thousands of "likes" and shares from her photography studio's Facebook page -- she realized she’d struck a nerve. Hundreds of mothers wrote to her, hoping Beall would be willing to take portraits of them "just as they were" as well. The photographer, and mother of one, was so moved by these intense reactions that she complied, in a big way.

    Now, these women’s photos (Beall has captured more than 50 moms and counting), and written accounts of their journeys from self-doubt to body confidence, will appear in "A Beautiful Body," a book that Beall is bringing to fruition via crowd-funding and help from volunteers. Put together, these images are meant to show mothers as they really look, imperfect but no less beautiful for what society might consider their physical "flaws."
    Story continues with more photos below.

    beautiful body project

    The photographer, whose baby boy Sequoia is now 16 months old, says the concept has roots in doubts that have haunted her throughout her life -- and hit her particularly hard after she gave birth. She explained to HuffPost over email:

        As a teenager I suffered from feelings of deep unworthiness. I had acne and I was unable to look in a mirror for nearly three years, unless it was by candlelight. ... I gained 50 pounds with my pregnancy and that added to my personal history of oppressive self-loathing in a culture that praises mostly photoshopped images of women in media.

    The project is volunteer-driven, and Beall does each photoshoot for free. She writes on Kickstarter that she plans to use some of the extra money she has raised to help people travel to her studio in Tucson, Arizona.

    "We are facing an epidemic of women who feel unworthy of being called beautiful," Beall told HuffPost, describing a world in which "nearly all of us struggle to feel beautiful in our own skin." And the expectations faced by women who have given birth are particularly harsh. "Shaming mothers for not 'bouncing back' after childbirth can cause feelings of failure when being a mother is challenging enough and when a big number of us have already lived a life of feeling un-beautiful prior to giving birth," she says.

    For a glimpse into the experience on the other side of Beall's camera, yoga therapist Michelle Marks (featured on slide 16 of the gallery below) wrote about her journey from terror to exhilaration on Offbeat Home. Marks says the final product made her cry:

        I had exposed myself to Jade -- not just my flesh, and typically hidden parts, but the angles, and lines and aspects of me that came with being a mother. The exposure called to light remembrances of how my body changed shape over two different pregnancies, and two births, and the stories that my body has stored from the act of surrender to motherhood and the unexpected life that has become mine since taking the leap of faith into motherhood.

    Beall -- who describes her photography as "medicinal" -- intends her book as balm not only for the women who volunteer to be photographed, but also the society whose expectations she's hoping to heal.

    Ultimately, she hopes to channel her passion into more than a single book. Future volumes she’s thinking about may tackle themes like aging, cancer and eating disorders. She'd like to photograph men as well as women -- and possibly even expand to other media, such as magazines and film. "My dream is to be a part of a movement of being kind to ourselves and to others and witness a generation of young people that no longer waste years of precious life on self-loathing like I have because they think they are un-beautiful," Beall said. AAX

    Danniella Westbrook: 'I Was Kidnapped, Drugged And Raped By Gang For Three Days'

    Danniella Westbrook has revealed she was once drugged and raped whilst being held captive by a group of men for three days after failing to pay drugs money.

    The former EastEnders star made the disturbing revelation during an interview on This Morning ahead of the release of her autobiography.

    She said: "I'd left EastEnders and was with a guy in a boy band and had split up with him, and it was a terrible time anyway. I was really heavily into drugs and moved away from everybody where I grew up and moved to South London.

    "I had a few different people that I used to get drugs from and, obviously being on TV, everybody thinks you're really rich... and I'd used that as a drug addict to my advantage.

    "One of the guys I owed the money to sent their people to get the money [£5,000]... and I just knew the moment I open the front door and there were these three guys standing there."

    Explaining how she couldn't see a way out, Danniella said: "When it was clear that I didn't have the money, they said 'get ready, you're coming with us' and I thought I was going to get taken somewhere and get beaten up and dumped somewhere... and I wished it had of been that."

    She continued: "I knew if I shouted out it was going to make it worse - these people are not scared of the police or anyone else. They are there to do what they've got to do and they took me to a rented flat and gave me vodka, drugs and what I thought was ecstasy, but it was rohypnol and I was there for nearly three days.

    "It was a case of them raping me and doing what they wanted to do with me and that was the start of my nightmare really."

    Following the attack, Danniella said: "I just went home and thought 'I'm a drug addict' if I tell anybody they'll just say it was what I deserved.

    "I blocked everything from that day out. I felt pretty worthless anyway being a drug addict but from then on my life just got worse. I just had this secret that I didn't want to tell anyone."

    On telling her husband and her mum, she said: "Telling my husband was really really difficult - he's the closest person to me in the world and always has been and I just thought that this fantastic man who has gone through every single drama that I'd had in my life would never want to be with me and it actually wasn't like that.

    Sarah Gadon In 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2': Actress Joins Cast Following Shailene Woodley's Exit

    One actress exits "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" and another enters. After it was revealed earlier this week that Shailene Woodley's role in the movie had been cut, "Cosmopolis" actress Sarah Gadon announced on "Entertainment Tonight Canada" that she will take on an unnamed part in the franchise.

    Woodley was slated to portray Mary Jane Watson, with her departure prompting rumors that another actress, 26, would take on the classic role instad. But director Marc Webb told Deadline.com that the character was being placed on hold until "The Amazing Spider-Man 3," rendering Gadon's impending contributions to the movie unknown. The Wrap's Jeff Sneider confirmed "100%" that Gadon will not take on the Mary Jane role.

    The actress even took to Twitter herself to clear up the speculation:

    Despite Woodley's exit, Gadon joins a bang-up cast that includes Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field, Martin Sheen and Chris Cooper. Gadon, who has been acting since she was 10, previously starred in "A Dangerous Mind," "Dream House" and "Cosmopolis."

    Jackie Stallone Reveals Latest Version Of Her Face After Admitting, 'I Look Like A Chipmunk'

    Jackie Stallone has shown off the latest version of her face in a new photoshoot, after revealing she isn't happy with the way her plastic surgery looks.

    The 91-year-old seems to have undergone further procedures since she famously appeared on 'Celebrity Big Brother' in 2005 as she poses for a series of new pictures.

    She told Reveal magazine earlier this week that she thought she looked "like a chipmunk" following her numerous operations, but refused to rule out further ones.

    "I've got too much. I look like I've got a mouthful of nuts... I feel I look like a chipmunk," she said.

    "I know it isn't normal. The papers in London are the worst. They say, 'She's the world's worst', that I look like a pet bulldog. I really do. I've seen too much bad work."

    Jackie has been out of the spotlight in recent years, and her looks caused confusion last year when a woman called Ivonne Weldon turned up at the premiere Sylvester Stallone's new film, and was mistaken for her.

    Google Nexus 7 Suffering Big Performance Drop-Offs 12 Months After Release?

    Google and Asus scored a huge win the the tech space last year with the launch of the Nexus 7. With its small and neat form factor, stock Android OS seven-inch screen, nice specs and - crucially - exceptionally low price, it was one of the first Android tablets to truly spark a light in the iPad-dominated market.

    Unfortunately, reports are starting to emerge that the tablet might be experiencing growing pains - or, possibly, a premature death.

    According to Dustin Earley at Android and Me, in a blog post widely cited in the tech media on Wednesday, the Nexus 7 is showing severe drop-offs in performance.

    "I can't find one person who has been using the Nexus 7 for an extended period of time, and hasn't seen a massive downgrade in performance," Earley writes.

    "I cannot pick up my Nexus 7 without experiencing problems like a lag of ten seconds, or more, just to rotate the display; touches refusing to acknowledged; stuttering notification panel actions; and unresponsive apps."

    And he's not alone. Beneath the piece dozens of Nexus 7 users say they have also experienced issues, while Google's own forums hold similarly dispiriting tales.

    "I have all the same exact issues. Horrific lag when doing anything in the browser, any simple multi-tasking, and at least one crash/reboot per hour," said one user, Kunal Patel.

    Not all users said they had experienced problems however, with some saying the tablet worked as well as the day they got it.

    Apple Insider (arguably not an unbiased source...) suggests that the issue might be down to cheap SSD memory. One Android app developer said it related to a well-known bug in Samsung's "flash controller firmware".

    We wouldn't hold off on purchasing a Nexus 7 based on these reports alone - the tablet is still an excellent device for the price.

    Amanda Bynes & Wyclef Jean: Actress & Rapper Not Collaborating For Bynes' Album

    Amanda Bynes' music career may still be in the works, but she's down one major producer.

    The 27-year-old former actress and current tweeter was rumored to work with the Fugees' Wyclef Jean on her supposed upcoming record deal. A representative from Jean's camp, however, has denied any involvement.

    Jean's team reportedly told TMZ that the producer and rapper hasn't spoken to Bynes about collaborating, nor has any plans to do so.

    Rumors of a Bynes-Jean team-up were sparked by a statement from the CEO of Chinga Chang Records, a company that reportedly offered Bynes a record deal. "I think it would be perfect," CEO Dan Herman told E! News. "Linking the two of them will be something major." He added that Jean was "receptive" to the idea of teaming up with Bynes, and spoke of arranging a meeting between the two of them earlier this week, which never took place.

    After retiring from acting, Bynes first publicized plans to begin a career in music last month. "Look forward to seeing me in music videos!" she announced on Twitter. "I'm looking forward to a long and wonderful career as a singer/rapper!"

    Bynes recently distanced herself from Chinga Chang Records, taking to Twitter to announce that her music career will begin after she completes various surgeries to remove the "webbing" between her eyes and to "shave the bridge down" of her nose.

    Linda Cardellini On 'Mad Men' What Went On Behind The Scenes When Sally Walked In

    The "Freaks & Geeks" alumna joined the critically-acclaimed AMC series as Don Draper's (Jon Hamm) mistress and neighbor Sylvia Rosen. In a recent "Mad Men" episode, the s*** hit the fan when Sally (Kiernan Shipka) walked in on the two of them having sex, prompting young Sally to explode at her father.

    "Well, the good thing about that is that when Kiernan walks in, what you see on screen isn't actually what she sees on set," Cardellini explained of the shocking "Mad Men" scene during a recent visit to HuffPost Live. "What we were doing while she was reacting to that is not exactly as explicit as it is on screen. So that's the nice thing about acting sometimes is that you don't have to actually experience the things as the characters do."

    Shipka recently opened up about the traumatic scene, telling Vulture, "The whole thing about acting in general, whether other actors are there with you or not, is that it's about your imagination. You can draw from real-life experiences, but obviously nothing, unless you're doing some biography, is going to be exact to your life.

    "That's what's fun about it. It's not real life. I have a little bit of a wild imagination, so I could imagine anything I wanted to see there even if it wasn't really there," she said with a laugh.

    But Sally's reaction to what she saw between Don and Sylvia led her to start drinking, smoking and enjoy watching boys fight over her while staying overnight at Miss Porter's boarding school in the penultimate episode of Season 6. "Sally walking in on her father with this other woman is a very complicated experience," "Mad Men" creator Matt Weiner explained in a behind-the-scenes video from AMC. "Her response is she wants to get as far away from her father as possible."

    Brazil Protests To Continue Despite Government Concessions Rolling Back Transit Fare Hike

    More than a million Brazilians poured into the streets of at least 80 cities Thursday in this week's largest anti-government demonstrations yet, protests that saw violent clashes break out in several cities as people demanding improved public services and an end to corruption faced tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets.

    At least one protester was killed in Sao Paulo state after a car rammed into a crowd of demonstrators, the driver apparently angered about being unable to drive along a street.

    In Rio de Janeiro, where an estimated 300,000 demonstrators swarmed into the seaside city's central area, running clashes played out between riot police and clusters of mostly young men, their T-shirts wrapped around their faces. But several peaceful protesters were up in the crackdown, too, as police fired tear gas canisters into their midst and at times indiscriminately used pepper spray.

    Thundering booms echoed off stately colonial buildings as rubber bullets and the gas were fired at fleeing crowds.

    At least 40 people were injured in Rio, including protesters like Michele Menezes, a wisp of a woman whose youthful face and braces belie her 26 years. Bleeding and with her hair singed from the explosion of a tear gas canister, she said that she and others took refuge from the violence in an open bar, only to have a police officer toss the canister inside.

    It exploded on top of Menezes, tore through her jeans and dug out two quarter-sized holes on the back of her thighs while also perforating a rash of small holes in her upper arm.

    "I was leaving a peaceful protest and it's not the thugs that attack me but the police themselves," said Menezes, removing her wire-rim glasses to wipe her bloodshot eyes.

    She later took refuge in a hotel along with about two dozen youths, families and others said they had been repeatedly hit with pepper spray by motorcycle police as they too took refuge inside a bar.

    Despite the crackdown, protesters said they would not back down.

    "I saw some pretty scary things, but they're not going to shake me. There's another march on the 22nd and I'm going to be there," said 19-year-old university student Fernanda Szuster.

    Asked whether her parents knew that she was taking part in the protests, Szuster said that "they know and they're proud. They also protested when they were young. So they think it's great."

    She added, though, that she wouldn't tell her father the details of the police violence she was a victim of. "If he knew, he would never let me leave the house again."

    In Brasilia, police struggled to keep hundreds of protesters from invading the Foreign Ministry, outside of which protesters lit a small fire. Other government buildings were attacked around the capital's central esplanade. There, too, police resorted to tear gas and rubber bullets in attempts to scatter the crowds.

    Clashes were also reported in the Amazon jungle city of Belem, in Porto Alegre in the south, in the university town Campinas north of Sao Paulo and in the northeastern Brazilian city of Salvador.

    "This was meant to be a peaceful demonstration and it is," said artist Wanderlei Costa, 33, in Brasilia. "It's a shame some people cause trouble when there is a much bigger message behind this movement. Brazil needs to change, not only on the government level, but also on the grass roots level. We have to learn to demonstrate without violence."

    On World Refugee Day, Syria Is Calling, But Is It Loud Enough?

    By Fairuz Taqi-Eddin, CARE's Regional Director of Partnerships in the Middle East, based in Jordan.

    The Syrian crisis is different from all other humanitarian crises that I have known. In my 11 years as a fundraiser with CARE, I have been involved in humanitarian emergency responses of large magnitude, including the Tsunami, the Pakistan floods, the Haiti earthquake, and the Horn of Africa food crisis.

    I have seen people suffering and their lives shattered but as a Syrian-American woman, this crisis is personal to me; it has made me much more aware of my Syrian roots. Both my paternal grandparents were born in Damascus and the majority of our extended family is still living in Syria. This crisis is affecting family members both in Syria and in Jordan directly. My relatives who are still back in Syria and those who have escaped the conflict and fled to Jordan have made this crisis real by bringing to my life the extent of pain and upheaval that they have been feeling. Several of my relatives lost their lives. Homes and businesses of relatives were destroyed. These are some examples of how one family −- my family -- is being affected.

    In Jordan, through my work with CARE, I have visited the Zaatari refugee camp and met with countless Syrian refugee families living in Amman. I have seen the impact this crisis has been having on the Syrian women, men, mothers and children. As a mother, I can easily relate to a refugee mom who constantly worries how she will keep a roof over her family's head, how /when her children would go to school or how many meals she could secure for her kids. The list goes on.

    There are good people and organizations on the ground like CARE doing their best to respond to this crisis. But it has just not been enough, and there is so much more that needs to be done, especially with no end in sight to this tragedy.

    On the 7th of June the UN launched a $4.4 billion humanitarian appeal -- the largest aid request in the organization's history -- in order to be able to assist the growing number of people suffering the effects of the crisis in Syria. The UN estimates that 6.8 million people need urgent help inside of Syria whilst more than 1.6 million Syrians -- the latter is twice the population of San Francisco where I used to live and work -- need urgent help in the neighbouring countries where they have been taking refuge and continue arriving. I feel the responsibility and the commitment to do my part and fundraise for this crisis of unprecedented scale.

    Unlike with other crises, the political aspect of this emergency has overshadowed the humanitarian aspect, and raising funds and having the focus on the continuous and increasing humanitarian needs of both people within Syria and Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries have been challenging. Also, due to the multitude of forces with different allegiances in Syria, raising funds is complex. In my role, I am constantly working on finding ways to help people affected by this huge crisis and assure donors that their funding reaches those who have been most affected, and is allocated to respond to the humanitarian needs created by the conflict.

    The 20th June, this week, marks World Refugee Day, a day established by the UN to recognize and honor the strength and determination of women, men and children who are forced to flee their homes to escape persecution, conflict, natural disasters and violence. An increasing number of the world's refugees today are from Syria, with the number of Syrian refugees continuing sadly to grow fast and steadily.

    On this important day, I urge that we don't forget the plight of the Syrian people who have already suffered so much, and help those most in need: over 1.6 million Syrian refugees as well as nearly seven million Syrians who are not refugees but are in urgent need of help inside Syria. This crisis is a clear case where aid will bring solace to uprooted refugee families forced to live in increasingly difficult conditions, and will alleviate the suffering of countless families.

    CARE is working to help refugees meet their most urgent needs and protect their dignity. While our efforts to help Syrian refugees and host communities began in Jordan -- where we have reached more than 110,000 refugees -- we are also on the ground in Egypt and Lebanon, working with a range of partners to help refugees and host communities. To find out more or to donate, please visit: http://care-international.org

    Bio: In her role, Fairuz manages and develops partnerships and donor relations for CARE in the Middle East region. Fairuz joined CARE in 2002. Prior to her move to the Middle East in spring 2008, Fairuz was a major gift fundraiser for CARE in San Francisco and Silicon Valley and worked with key corporations and Foundation such as CISCO, GOOGLE, GAP Foundation and Visa. She has ten years of experience in fundraising, media and communication work. Fairuz is passionate and committed towards women empowerment work and promoting cultural understanding. A volunteer for several philanthropic organizations, Fairuz was instrumental in the setting up of Spark, a San Francisco based organization that engages young professionals around women issues around the globe.

    2013 Alaska Heat Wave Record-Breaking Temperatures Bake 49th State

    A heat wave hitting Alaska may not rival the blazing heat of Phoenix or Las Vegas, but to residents of the 49th state, the days of hot weather feel like a stifling oven — or a tropical paradise.

    With temperatures topping 80 degrees in Anchorage, and higher in other parts of the state, people have been sweltering in a place where few homes have air conditioning.

    They're sunbathing and swimming at local lakes, hosing down their dogs and cleaning out supplies of fans in at least one local hardware store. Mid-June normally brings high temperatures in the 60s in Anchorage, and just a month ago, it was still snowing.

    The weather feels like anywhere but Alaska to 18-year-old Jordan Rollison, who was sunbathing with three friends and several hundred others lolling at the beach of Anchorage's Goose Lake.

    "I love it, I love it," Rollison said. "I've never seen a summer like this, ever."

    State health officials even took the unusual step of posting a Facebook message reminding people to slather on the sunscreen.

    Some people aren't so thrilled, complaining that it's just too hot.

    "It's almost unbearable to me," said Lorraine Roehl, who has lived in Anchorage for two years after moving here from the community of Sand Point in Alaska's Aleutian Islands. "I don't like being hot. I'm used to cool ocean breeze."

    On Tuesday, the official afternoon high in Anchorage was 81 degrees, breaking the city's record of 80 set in 1926 for that date.

    Other smaller communities throughout a wide swath of the state are seeing even higher temperatures.

    All-time highs were recorded elsewhere, including 96 degrees on Monday 80 miles to the north in the small community of Talkeetna, purported to be the inspiration for the town in the TV series, "Northern Exposure" and the last stop for climbers heading to Mount McKinley, North America's tallest mountain. One unofficial reading taken at a lodge near Talkeetna even measured 98 degrees, which would tie the highest undisputed temperature recorded in Alaska.

    That record was set in 1969, according to Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the online forecasting service Weather Underground.

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