The experience of posing nude for the project left some women in tears – but no one ever changed their mind about being photographed
If she was about to ask hundreds of women to pose naked for her, Ponch Hawkes figured it was only fair she do it too.
During the shoots, some of the women revealed they’d come secretly because their partner would not approve. Others spoke of daughters who weren’t happy about it. A surprising number of women admitted they hadn’t undressed in front of their own partners for years.“One said her husband hadn’t seen her body for 20 years because she was so ashamed of it. That was just heartbreaking,” says Scott.
Hawkes and Scott began shooting 500 Strong in 2021 in Hawkes’ studio in Melbourne. Word spread so fast that a waitlist soon formed; women even began travelling from interstate to take part. It took three years, but Hawkes has finally reached the 500 mark, with Scott on hand to assist and soothe nerves the whole time.Initially, their only requirement was that the volunteers were older than 50 and presenting as a woman.
“She was a trap shooter,” Hawks recalls. “I said, ‘Do you realise you’re going to be photographed naked with the gun?’ And she said, ‘That’s exactly what I’m going for.’” Around the 300-mark, the two women decided they should venture out to the regions, and shot many more portraits in art galleries in Shepparton, Horsham and Geelong.“We found the women in the regions are much less self-conscious. A lot of the bigger women seemed to feel more comfortable in their skin,” Hawkes observes.
While it was often emotionally draining work, both women felt elated after a shoot. “We get so much back from the people who do it,” Hawkes says. “It’s a really brave thing to do in a society that has a really gendered view of ageing. Men are old codgers and women are harridans and witches – it’s difficult for people to feel good about their body, women especially, I think. It’s so brave and admirable.
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