Chicago photographer Kambua Chema seeks to rewrite magnificence requirements by capturing girls 50 and over

CHICAGO (WLS) — It’s Women’s History Month, and one Chicago photographer is rewriting magnificence requirements one click on at a time.

She’s capturing the portraits of 100 girls, all 50 and over.

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When every girl steps in entrance of the digicam, they comply with be photographed with no make-up and no retouching, as Kambua Chema takes them on a journey of vulnerability, reminding them girls are stunning at any age.

“I think women, as we age, we become invisible,” Chema stated. “We talk about everything that seems real, like, what is it like to to grow old? I mean, we all have the same aches. Are you going through menopause? No, are you having hot flashes?”

For months, Chema has been growing a portrait sequence celebrating the pure magnificence of ladies 50 and over. So far, 66 girls had been every requested to complete one sentence: “I have earned every line because …”

Participant Stephanie Johnson stated “my grandmother inspired me.”

“I think I’m beautiful, too. Even if any, even if no one else thinks I am, I know that I am,” Johnson stated.

Soon to be 74, Johnson says her confidence was rooted in her grandmother. But stepping in entrance of the digicam nonetheless required braveness.

“Being raw, oh my gosh, I said, I can’t wear lipstick, really? Because I always wear it when I walk out the door,” Johnson stated.

Stripping away the consolation meant confronting a lifetime of expectations and selecting, as an alternative, to only be.

“Their lines are experiences,” Chema stated. “I think at 50 and older, it felt like a good place to look back and reflect and say, ‘OK, I’m 50. You know, what have I done?'”

And in that reflection comes freedom. Chema says it is in these open, trustworthy moments that she captures one thing deeper than a photograph.

“There’s something beautiful about being authentically natural and unveiling and just being you,” Chema stated.

And with time comes readability.

“Do what you want to do in your life. Do the things you want to do because time is too short,” Johnson stated.

Chema is on the lookout for 36 extra girls to be a part of this exhibition that’s going to have a present opening in late May.

Anyone ought to go to kambuachemaphotography.com.