Charles Blouin

It took Natrishka almost a year to feel ready for this series with photographer Charles Blouin. Born in Durban, South Africa, she grew up during apartheid, with South Indian heritage on her father’s side and a mother of mixed heritage. The idea for the shoot came during a difficult time in her life. After a breakup and miscarriage, Natrishka found herself struggling with her confidence and comparing herself to other women online. At first, she wanted to recreate the kind of images she saw there — images of women she thought were desired in a way she wasn’t.

Free to be — for those who know how to value and embody it — is perhaps the most beautiful state. Free from people who don’t nourish you, from a job that consumes too much of your time, free from the weight of what others might think — and still open enough to love deeply within that freedom.