Months after surgery, Hannah Witton reminds us that beauty is everywhere.
In this mini documentary, we see the behind-the-scenes of Hannah’s first photo shoot post-ileoscopy with Linda Blacker. Just over three months after surgery, Hannah bared all – body, scar and stoma bag – in this body positive shoot to remind herself and her audience that all bodies are beautiful. We think this is incredibly brave and extremely important!
Over the years, Hannah has become known for her videos on feminism, sex education and body positivity. As she explains, she has “always been a fairly confident person” but the surgery was a big knock for her both physically and mentally. However, she’s taken it all in her stride, introducing her audience to a new side of her and continuing her trend of talking about taboo subjects. We’ve learnt so much from Hannah that we might never have learnt had she not been making these videos!
She addresses visibility, talking about how her inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and stoma content has affected her audience: “It seems to resonate with a lot of people…in terms of being visible with a kind of body that is often not seen.” Before this photo shoot, many people may have never seen what a person with a stoma looks like and IBD is an invisible illness that affects its sufferers differently. Hannah and Linda’s shoot has shown how visible and beautiful it can be.
The main message to take from this video, as well as Hannah’s entire journey, is best summarised in her own words – “you are still beautiful and you are still perfectly capable”. She talks about reclaiming her sexiness that she was so confident in and proud of before surgery and how this photo shoot was a big part of that.
We definitely agree that you should be confident and love yourself no matter how you look! To those who have undergone surgery or any other kind of physical change, as Hannah says, “our bodies are different now but they still deserve to be seen and be celebrated.” You all rock!
The stunning photos from this shoot can be found on Linda’s website as well as hers and Hannah’s Instagrams. Go and check them out and show them some love!
Want more?
Daniel J. Layton shares how reading can be an important part of self-care. Alternatively, Carly Rowena gives us five tips for staying healthy.
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