Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Zelda Elisco. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Zelda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Like most women, growing up I felt the damage caused by toxic beauty culture and society’s unattainable beauty standards to my sense of self . Strength Marks grew from a curiosity to answer the question: Could sharing untouched photographs and candid stories fight back against toxic beauty culture? Could art change the way we saw ourselves?

Strength Mark’s mission is to help us rediscover – and redefine – our self-confidence as humans by celebrating the parts of ourselves society deems “imperfect.” Though the project was originally focused on decorating stretch marks, Strength Marks quickly evolved to celebrate scars – and bodies – of all kinds. I am proud the project has grown to include pregnancy scars, surgery scars, and beyond.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Ever since I was a child, I’ve gravitated towards art and photography. I was gifted my first camera at the age of 12 and fell instantly in love with the challenge of capturing the world through my eyes.

When I was 20 years old, I decided to take a chance on a crazy idea and use my creativity to start Strength Marks. Today, my work focuses on amplifying purpose-driven stories that make our planet a better place. Over the last 6+ years, I have traveled around the world, passionately photographing and interviewing humans about their relationships with their bodies.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Many of the participants from Strength Marks have come back to me and said that doing the photoshoots has helped them start, or accelerate, their own body-acceptance journey. I’ve had people tell me that the scars I photographed are now a part of themselves that they cherish and love.

For many participants, their stretch marks or scars come from a challenging time in their life or a (health) obstacle they have had to overcome. I hope that by doing the photoshoots and interviews, each participant can change their perspective of their own scars and see them as strengths – the strength to pull through during a difficult time.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I launched Strength Marks at 20 years old, I received a lot of criticism about the project. People didn’t understand the potential impact. For a long time, I felt like I was the only one who could see just how special the project could be. As a creative, one of the challenges we face often is articulating the beautiful vision in our mind. When I launched Strength Marks, I had a strong vision of how all the project’s pieces would fit together, but at times it felt like no else understood. I chose to persist. I chose to believe in myself and trust that if I followed my instinct, my vision would come to life. I am very proud of Strength Marks – what it means to people and the impact it has had. Without my resilience and determination, the project wouldn’t exist.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.strengthmarks.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strengthmarks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strengthmarks
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/strength-marks/

Image Credits

Zelda Elisco