A breast cancer survivor gains strength from the Beautiful Women Project

“Our bodies tell our life story. They are portraits of our journeys and experiences. Knowing that our body is beautiful just as it exists is a message more people need to see and hear.”

- Cheryl-Ann Webster –

Unexpected Benefits

Although women volunteered to be cast to send a message of self-acceptance to young girls, the castees often found personal benefits to participating.

• One volunteer, confined to a wheelchair by a crippling disease, thought that her spine was so twisted that her cast would be unusable. She was delighted that she could not even recognize her own likeness among many others
• One woman refused to remove the cast because it was the first time in her life that she felt safe
• An abuse survivor volunteered to be cast as part of her healing process
• For a volunteer about to undergo a double mastectomy to treat breast cancer, Cheryl-Ann made a personal cast, as well as one for the Project
• Women who had undergone surgeries felt that their casts confirmed that they were still beautiful women
• Despite their certainty that their scars, stretch marks, size, or the removal of a breast would make their body instantly recognizable, the models were pleasantly surprised to find that they often could not even identify their own cast

The Impact of the Women's Stories

Cheryl-Ann's initial goal was to replicate only the physical form of the castees. Yet the white sculptures did not truly represent the vibrant women who shared their stories with her during the casting. After much deliberation and consultation, she decorated the clay sculptures to honour the women’s life experiences.

In response to numerous requests, Cheryl-Ann included an explanation of the decorations in the 2007 exhibitions. This added dimension deepens viewer understanding and enhances the impact of the Beautiful Women Project.

Audience Response

Cheryl-Ann's hope was that some day a guest book comment might reflect how the project had helped people in their healing journey. Her hopes were far exceeded. The project has facilitated healing in the initial castees, volunteers and supporters, as well as visitors to the gallery and workshop participants.

In Audience Reflections, gallery visitors express in their own words their response to the Beautiful Women Project.