What have I learned from painting boobs portraits?

After half a year dedicated to painting women’s breasts, the most asked question I have received is: Why am I doing this?

Well, let me tell you, my friends. Boobs have incredible stories like, probably, many other parts of our bodies. However, the relationship women have to their breasts is particularly special. If you don’t believe me, I challenge you to ask one of your female friends next time you meet up to share a story with you related to her boobs. And listen. Listen carefully because the more we share our stories, the more we can relate to each other and empathise. You will open up the pandora box. And I am very excited for you about this one.

My parents took me to a nudist hotel for the first time when I was 7 years old in Spain and I was the only kid wearing underwear. I could not handle showing my body to others despite the fact that I was only 7 and I had obviously not developed a woman’s body yet. I was seen as “the weird one” by everybody else, with a reason. This particular art project has personally helped me to overcome body shame, to reconnect to my female nature, and to acknowledge that my body is my home and is very beautiful.

I have asked many women to pose for me so far and I have gotten all kinds of reactions. I discovered, surprisingly, that not all of them were ready to share their vulnerabilities with me and I don’t blame them, this is part of the process and the reason why I am working still on this art project. Many other women, on the other hand, have actively approached me and commissioned me portraits. It makes me more than happy when I enter one of my friends’ or art collectors’ houses and I can see boobs hanging on the wall, not hiding. Actually, quite the opposite, they are celebrated!

Back to my learnings, I have summarized a few points for you:

• Women’s boobs are still extremely sexualized, instead of being seen as another part of our bodies.
• The bond that many women have with their boobs is so strong that their size and shape can influence radically their mental well-being.
• Not all women dare to show their boobs to other women (including close friends).
• Women have self esteem challenges after breastfeeding because of the belief that their boobs are not that attractive anymore.
• Men are very supportive in regards to the topic and it is mostly women who self-sabotage themselves.

This is only a small part of my self-love journey that I am sharing with you today and I am happy to keep on exploring this topic with you. My intention is to help other women to accept themselves fully and so I will be painting many more beautiful and colourful boobs portraits.

If you want to see my work in real life I will be hosting expos this year in LA (January), Miami (February), and Tel Aviv (April).

Keep tuned via social media @sabela_garcia_cuesta or subscribe to my newsletter here.