'I painted 200 women’s naked bodies

By Sophie Tea

Sophie Tea is a London-based artist whose work honours the female form, with a focus on celebrating the diversity that distinguishes all of our bodies. In 2021, Sophie organised six “Nudie” catwalks, which featured models wearing only body paint that she'd meticulously swirled over their naked bodies.

Her latest project saw her create ‘SEND NUDES’, a coffee table book featuring over 500 images that celebrate feminine nudity, as well as the nitty gritty relationship we all have with self-love and body positivity.

Here, she shares an exclusive essay about her own body image, the power of feminist art, and the life lessons she learned from painting 200+ naked women's bodies.

Since 2019 I have worked toward a singular goal: make women feel a tiny bit nicer about themselves. My ‘Send Nudes’ catwalk shows, and the collection of art they inspired were conceived to celebrate the beautiful diversity of the female form. I’ve read thousands of essays from ‘nudie’ applicants (women volunteering to literally bare all in the name of art). Each applicant told a unique story.

I’ve painted on over 200 naked bodies and watched these women walk down a catwalk in front of thousands of people. I was completely in awe. The ‘Nudies’ came from different backgrounds and diverse life experiences and were tied together by the desire to celebrate their own bodies.

‌Self-love is a term thrown about so flippantly in media, from global marketing campaigns to artists like me shouting about its importance to anyone who cares to listen. The truth is self-love is hard to achieve and just as difficult to maintain. It has a complex and different meaning to us at different points in time. Simply practising self-love can be hard, especially when it comes to the relationship we have with our bodies.

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By Gabi Thorne

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By Gabi Thorne

I can’t tell you how much I’ve agonised over mine for so many years. For years and years being so insecure about my boobs, stuffing my bra with football socks. I remember speaking to my mum at 14 and just letting her know that I would be having a boob job as soon as legally possible. I genuinely remember being like: ‘Hopefully my future partner won’t mind the fact that I will wear a bra to bed, and they will never see me naked’. Like STOP. Your body does not define you as a person and it should be celebrated for the things it does for you. Why, as women, is the struggle with self-love so real?

‌My motivations for exploring self-love and painting nudes first came from not wanting a single soul to feel the way I felt about myself for so many years. Wishing I looked different. I consider the women and the community to have been the biggest healer for me when it came to learning to love myself.

‌The 200 brave, strong and inspirational bloody legends that strutted down the catwalk, paint adorned, all had a story to tell. One woman had been dealing with self-harm with a torso covered in scars. Another woman was an amputee, another with a double mastectomy. Women with colostomy bags and stretch marks from carrying children.

Their impact on me was profound and will serve as a constant inspiration as I move through life. They taught me that the most important relationship is the one we have with ourselves. Developing a sense of worth that is not contingent on external validation is a difficult feat. For me, the enduring lessons are simple but potent. At all times, think and act with empathy, allow yourself to be vulnerable and above all be kind to yourself.

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