Nimoy’s preface sets the tone for this collection of photographs: it is straightforward and curious, and most importantly it does not try to be compensatory. part of the cultural reaction to the intense scrutiny placed on women’s bodies is to use hyperbolic, inauthentic language to describe every woman or every body as perfect and beautiful. this simply isn’t correct. it’s unfair to women because it still places the importance on beauty, and it creates dissonance because all the extemporizing in the world doesn’t change the realities that 1. not everyone is beautiful (which is fine) and 2. sexism still exists and still condemns women’s bodies and a torrent of flowery language isn’t the solution. Nimoy doesn’t do any of that. he is articulate about his models without sounding like he is scrambling to make up nice things to say.

the models (and Nimoy) do incredible work together, and I think that The Full Body Project is useful as a destigmatizing tool. it shows that fat bodies are no more uniform than thin bodies, which is a huge assumption that I rarely see challenged. the models have incredible energy and their dynamism is stunning. Nimoy’s framing is elegant and his eye is playful. the black-and-white lends a formal air to the photographs, which I think increases their authority, and it also has the additional benefit of subtly emphasizing contour. a great way to spend fifteen minutes on a sunny sunday.