WOMEN OF MY GENERATION | Fanny Beckman

About

As a young woman, Fanny knows the great impact media has on body image and self esteem, and how a lack of representation and diversity fuels eating disorders. As a photographer who uses art to raise awareness of social injustice, she decided to challenge the beauty standards seen in the media. In December 2018 she reached out on Instagram, looking for self identifying women to portray in their bedrooms, wearing underwear they felt comfortable in. This resulted in her spending most weekends in different houses. After speaking with all these girls, she understood how similar our experiences are in terms of our relationship to our bodies, but how stigmatised it is to show vulnerability. The aim with this project is to remove this stigma by starting conversations surrounding the female body. Fanny Beckman also wants to raise awareness of the photographic medium’s responsibility, and how it can be used to prevent, rather than fuel, eating disorders. This ongoing documentary series proves that it is possible to feel confident regardless of body size, sexuality, ethnicity or socio-economic background. 

In January 2020 she turned Women of My Generation into a multimedia project. After spending a year documenting and talking to women who share similar experiences in terms of their relationships to their bodies, and their feelings towards media and photographs, Fanny decided to record these stories. Every episode focuses on one particular theme around women's bodies, such as PCOS, eating disorders, sexual harassment, and more. This is Fanny Beckman's contribution to challenge old fashioned norms. 

Fanny Beckman is a photographer who uses art to raise awareness of social injustice. She was four years old when she got her first camera and ever since, photography has been an important part of her life. She studied Fine Art Photography at Gamleby School of Photography in Sweden. It was during this time she realised how she could combine art and feminism.  

Since 2013, she has freelanced as a photographer, public speaker and writer and has collaborated with various feminist organisations. She has had numerous exhibitions highlighting subjects such as domestic abuse and mental health. For example, she exhibited in the Swedish Parliament in November 2017, at the Brighton Dome in March 2019, and at Gallery Foto Nostrum in Barcelona in October 2019, as one of the winners of the Julia Margaret Cameron Award.

@feckman | fannybeckman.com | Women of My Generation Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/women-of-my-generation/id1490168759

@deptforddoesart | deptforddoesart.com