Since 2009, fine art photographer Charise Isis has been taking topless portraits of women who have had mastectomies for breast cancer as part of The Grace Project. The goal? Photographing 800 women, which represents the number of American women diagnosed with the disease each day.
The images are inspired by sculptures like the Venus de Milo, and like it, the women are celebrated as beautiful and their brokenness revealing the delicate nature of life, endurance and the inherent beauty that still radiates.
Here, Charise talks about the power in the portraits as well as marginalized parts of breast cancer that awareness programs seem to miss altogether.
Our theme music - "Please Irene" by Lynn Riley and the World-Mix - is used with their permission. Find their release "Say What" on iTunes, Amazon Music, Bandcamp, CB Baby and via their website.