Body Image, Girl on a Mission

Hate The Way Your Legs Look? This Beautiful Photo Series Will Change Your Mind…

July 31, 2013

One woman is giving the female persuasion a “leg-up” to self-esteem in the most unique creative way possible! Ok enough with the leg puns, coz seriously this is awesome.

A New York Photographer by the name of Stacey Baker started a project called ‘Citilegs where she goes around the Big Apple taking pictures of women’s legs. Now before you think “how creepy”, hear us out…

The associate photo editor at The New York Times Magazine started the personal project in March 2013 and while it was something spontaneous she decided to do for fun, it has started turning heads and becoming a way for women to reflect on what they think about their bodies.

45 year-old Baker spoke to the Daily Mail about her project which started with a chance encounter at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Park Avenue.

‘I was passing through the lobby of the hotel and saw this woman with delicate legs wearing a pretty black coat. For some reason, I thought it would make a nice picture,’ explained the Chicago native, who has lived in New York for seven years.

‘I took a few more around New York and one in London. There was something about the pictures that I found interesting.’

‘Some women want to be tagged, others like to stay anonymous. I’ll email them a picture or two if they like,’ she said.

‘Some are flattered or just think it’s a cool idea. After seeing the pictures of their legs, any number of the women have said, “Wow, they look great,” and that’s nice to hear.’

However there has been some negativity where anonymous comments criticize her subjects in a nasty way.

‘I have been alarmed by the number of comments criticizing the women’s bodies,’ she noted. ‘I didn’t foresee that — maybe that was naive of me.

‘I think it’s OK to weigh in about what they’re wearing — some of those exchanges are really interesting — but wasn’t intended to be a forum to criticize the subjects’ bodies, and I try to monitor those comments.’

She has so far taken over 300 photos and continues to add to her website and Instagram account every day.

‘I simply look for legs that interest me,’ said Ms Baker, 45. ‘It could be the shape of a woman’s legs or her stance or what she’s wearing or some combination’

While Stacey does it for fun, it certainly is a good way to get an objective perspective about body image. As women we hate on ourselves, especially our thighs and hips, way too much. It’s great to see women showing other women how beautiful and unique we are in a fun way.

Our warped perspective of how we look on the outside sometimes could do with a bit of an attitude adjustment. Stacey thinks a woman’s legs say a lot about a woman, so what do we think about ourselves? Would you allow your legs to be photographed for the world to see?