This Is Me

#UNRETOUCHED

This Is Me is a new book created by one of Australia's leading fashion and portraiture photographers Julie Adams and hugely successful fashion and lifestyle journalist Georgie Abay. It is book created by women, for women. A book which will move and inspire them. It captures unretouched portraits of women and their journeys to selflove and acceptance. #UNRETOUCHED

It began when Julie Adams asked women and their children to come into her studio – which was always set up by the beach in surf clubs and pavilions – and be photographed in their swimsuits. The idea? To celebrate the female body, individuality and self-love. None of the images Julie has captured in this book have been retouched. They're raw, real and most importantly, relatable.

It's not easy stepping into a photographic studio and putting yourself in the spotlight. It's confronting and it takes courage. Yet hundreds of women did exactly this.

Featuring a mix of women from all over the world, This Is Me captures the journeys of hundreds of girls and women who open up about some of the issues they've faced throughout their lives. Anorexia, bulimia, cancer, endometriosis, mastectomies and more.

This book is for every woman who has ever had a moment of self-doubt, for every woman who has ever questioned herself. It's for every mother who wants to foster self-love and acceptance in their daughter. It captures the strength of women and reminds us of the power of coming together to stand up for something we believe in.

Georgie Abay is an experienced editor with over 15 years' experience in the industry. After working in publishing in Australia and freelancing for various titles, she went on to work on the launch of Harper's Bazaar Dubai before joining Vogue Australia. She then joined Harper's Bazaar where she became the deputy editor before returning to Vogue as the fashion features director and deputy editor. In 2013, she launched her hugely successful fashion and lifestyle digital platform The Grace Tales, which has grown into the go-to premium parenting platform both locally and abroad. Georgie co-authored with Julie Adams their first book GRACE MOTHERS (Bauer Books 2019).

Having first picked up a camera when she was just 13-years old, Julie Adams is now one of Australia's leading fashion and portraiture photographers. She studied photography in Florence and her career has taken her all over the world from Africa to Italy. She has since worked for prestigious publications such as The Independent (UK), VOGUE, Harper's BAZAAR, Glamour, Marie Claire and more, and has played a key creative role as founding photographer on The Grace Tales.

This Is Me
Bauer Books
Authors: Georgie Abay and Julie Adams
ISBN: 9781925865493
RRP: $39.99

Interview with author and photographer Julie Adams

Can you tell us about This Is Me? 

'This is Me' started two years ago as a photographic project to celebrate the female form, individuality and self-love. I set up a photographic studio in a local surf club and invited the general public (women of all ages) to come along and be photographed in their swimsuits to celebrate 'This is Me' – #unretouched and natural.

It is incredibly daunting to be photographed in your swimsuit, in a studio setting and unretouched. I truly had no idea if anyone would turn up. To my surprise I was rushed off my feet. That first shoot was really magical and at that point I knew this concept needed to be a book. I collaborated with writer /journalist Georgie Abay and that is when the project and most importantly the message behind the project really started to gain momentum.

Excitingly this month our book 'This is Me' is launching. It includes babies, toddlers, tweens, teens and women. Over 200 people feature in the book and share their thoughts on self-love and their own journeys to self-acceptance. Issues women face such as cancer, mastectomy, eating disorders, living with an ileostomy bag, endometriosis, diabetes and more are discussed within the book – highlighting the absolute strength of women. The book is an uplifting celebration of womanhood.

What originally inspired the idea of This Is Me?

'This is Me' was first inspired by my daughters. I'm a Mum of two little girls and started to notice even at primary school age that body image was a topic of conversation around the house. Having grown up with friends with eating disorders I started thinking a lot about how can I nurture self confidence in my kids from a young age? How can I bring up kids that are happy in their own skin?

Being a photographer I was aware that I played a role in this increasing image based world and I really wanted to work on a project that celebrated ALL women. I wanted my daughters (and other young girls) to acknowledge that they are all unique and individual and that is what makes them special. My girls were involved in the idea from the beginning, helped me at the shoots and feature in the book – it was important for me that they were a part of the process.

Who do you hope reads This Is Me?

'This is Me' is a book for every woman who has ever had a moment of self-doubt, for every woman who has ever questioned herself. It's for every mother who wants to foster self-love and acceptance in her daughters. It captures the strength of women and reminds us of the power of coming together to stand up for something we believe in.

How did you develop your approach to self-love and acceptance?

I think I have always had a fairly balanced approach to self-love and acceptance. I've always been really passionate about interests in life - whether it was sport when I was younger or creativity as life has progressed - and I think having these passions has given me different avenues in life to find that self-confidence.

I've always tried to be 'glass half full' with my approach to life.  That doesn't mean I don't have down days or feelings of wishing I was in better shape or whatever those little niggles may be … but I know those feelings just come and go. I think balance is really my go-to with how I approach self-love and acceptance.

Interestingly though, I learnt a lot through working on 'This is Me'. I have learnt that to foster self confidence in my children I really need to nurture that in myself.

I've realised the way we talk about ourselves or feel about ourselves effects how our children feel about themselves.  have started to check myself a lot more – and make sure I am sending the right message … so all these incredible women in the book have made me realise … I still have a lot to learn.

Was it difficult reliving certain aspects/times of your life, whilst creating This Is Me?

Creating 'This is Me' wasn't difficult for me personally - instead I think life experience gave me the understanding to know how important it was to move forward and work on a project that addresses self-confidence and self-love. I grew up with dear friends that suffered eating disorders and mental illness, I have a deep understanding of how fragile those formative years can be. I wanted 'This is Me' to be joyful – I really wanted the women's experience of being involved, no matter what their journey had been, to be celebratory and happy.

What or who inspired your love of reading/writing?

I have always loved story telling … but for me this has always been expressed visually (or dramatically across the dinner table!). As a young child I was always found trawling through my Mother's photo albums … so curious about that place in time and that moment. I received my first camera for my 13^th birthday and it has been attached to me ever since. I was capturing everyday life, family and friends well before exploring it professionally. The idea of books …. and creating books always seemed out of reach to me … until two wonderful mentors of mine, iconic photographer Douglas & his wife Francoise Kirkland who have created close to 30 books started planting the seed. Douglas would say to me … save everything … the images will be in your books one day. They both played a great role in my desire to create books and tell stories. Another key inspiration for me was my working relationship with writer and journalist Georgie Abay. Georgie's love of words and mine of imagery has been a really inspiring partnership.

What book are you reading, right now?

I am reading 'Phosphorescence: On awe, wonder and things that sustain you when the world goes dark' by Julia Baird …. It's very beautiful … and the perfect read for right now