Like journalists Esther Honing and Priscilla Yuki Wilson before her, 23-year-old Marie Southard Ospina asked strangers in different countries to Photoshop an untouched, barefaced portrait of her to reflect what they defined as “beautiful.” What makes Ospina’s story different? She’s a plus-size blogger.
“I was so fascinated by these women’s work that I became increasingly curious as to how editors would treat a photo of me if asked to edit it, what with my chubby cheeks, double chin, thick shoulders and chest and rounder, fuller face,” the Colombian-American wrote in a blog post for Bustle.com “What would they do with these traits?”
Courtesy Bustle
The results were quite “surprising” to the Brooklyn-based writer. Out of the 21 photo editors “only three visibly thinned me down [Ukraine, Mexico and Latvia],” she tells PEOPLE. “We’re talking 50-100 pound slimming down.” (Editor’s note: Photos above, from left to right: original, Latvia, Mexico and Macedonia.)
She added: “I only asked 1-3 editors per country to work on the photo — certainly not indicative of an entire nation. But all that being said, I’m still surprised that so many stuck to quite a natural look, rather than going for intense changes.”
The one image that did get the strongest reaction was Latvia’s interpretation of the photos, says Ospina. “It wasn’t just that I was slimmed down — I expected that much. But it was the extent of it. If you look at it closely, I honestly look emaciated.”
And her favorite? “I kind of fell in love with Italy’s photo,” she explains. “As someone who keeps her makeup routine to powder, eyeliner and lipstick, the intense and dramatic makeup was just really fascinating to me.”
All in all, Ospina felt “extremely positive” with the outcome of the experiment and hopes to empower others.
“I love being plus-size. I like that I’m curvy and thick and voluptuous,” she says. “My body makes me feel feminine, strong and empowered. And my wish is that more plus-size women start seeing the beauty in their wobbly bits as time passes, too.”
What do you think of the photos? Are you surprised by the results? Sound off below.
–Michelle Ward
