Bold Beauty Project
Belinda Senatus Portrait Series (Miami, 2016)
As a woman with keloids, participating in the Bold Beauty Project was deeply personal for me. The project—designed to celebrate women with disabilities through intimate, collaborative portraiture—aligned powerfully with my own journey of embracing visibility and redefining beauty. For the 2016 Miami show, I had the honor of photographing Belinda Senatus, a vibrant Marriage & Family Therapist living with spina bifida.
Before our shoot, I took the time to truly get to know Belinda—not just her story, but what colors lit her up, what made her smile, and the kind of world she wanted to see reflected around her. We built a friendship that continues to this day, exchanging messages across platforms and celebrating one another’s wins.
To accommodate her wheelchair and to craft an experience that felt empowering rather than imposed, I designed an installation in my living room. The environment was carefully arranged: cascading, floating flowers surrounded Belinda, while reflective and translucent objects caught the light and shimmered in bouquet through my lens. I wanted her to be immersed in beauty—her own, reflected back at her.
This portrait session wasn’t just about capturing images. It was about building a world where Belinda’s voice, presence, and brilliance were the focal point. It was about honoring her as a lioness, a therapist, a sister, and a phenomenal woman—as she proudly describes herself.
The Bold Beauty Project continues to expand across the globe, empowering women with disabilities to reclaim their narratives. In the Miami edition, I was proud to contribute my design eye, installation instincts, and storytelling spirit to this powerful movement.
About Bold Beauty Project
Bold Beauty Project (BBP) is a powerful visual arts exhibition that celebrates women with varying disabilities. Through large-scale photographs and deeply personal narratives, BBP challenges conventional standards of beauty while promoting visibility, inclusion, and empowerment. Originally launched as Uncensored Life: Raw Beauty in 2006, the project has since grown into a global movement using local resources to connect photographers and models in cities around the world.
About Belinda Senatus
Belinda is a marriage and family therapist who earned her master’s degree from St. Thomas University. Living with spina bifida, she approaches life with humor, determination, and ambition. Belinda is currently working toward greater independence—learning to drive and setting goals to open her own practice. She radiates confidence, compassion, and strength, and believes wholeheartedly in her ability to thrive.
“I have blossomed into a phenomenal woman.” – Belinda Senatus
Photographed by: Jonelle Demby
