In this week’s Wednesday 5: one woman’s empowering decision to have a “nude” photo shoot, a mother’s moving photos of her inseparable little girls, it just might be that the art world’s obsession with youth is fading, five Indian women whose lives led to landmark judgments or laws, and how to talk to your kids about the contributions of African-American women.

1.

Why I Did a Nude Photo Shoot Before My Breast Reduction

“I love my body. I believe my body is a magnificent work of art — a canvas painted brown, stroked with curves, accented with dimples and decorated with stretch marks.” This is how Kadia Blagrove introduces herself and her body via her blog on The Huffington Post. She then tells us that, despite all of this love and pride for her body, she’s about to undergo a breast reduction “due to years of severe back and neck pain.” To celebrate the transition, she is determined not to hide or feel embarassed. Instead, she “partnered with NYC artist and photographer Justin J, to do a personal photo shoot celebrating [her] giant breasts in all their glory.” Amen, sister! Of the experience, she writes, “In the name of health, I bravely make this tough decision — a decision that has taken me over a decade to make. I celebrate my body the way it is and the way it will be. My nude shoot was one of the most freeing experiences I’ve ever had. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more beautiful.”

2.

A Mother’s Moving Photos of Her Inseparable Little Girls

Image via Anna Christine on Instagram

Speaking of the power of the image, in this week’s dose of inspiration we share with you the photography series “Barely Different,” by Anna Christine, featured in The Daily Mail. To document the bond between her biological daughter and her Ethiopian adopted daughter, mom and photographer Anna Christine of Olympia, Washington, captured the day-to-day of her little girls in loving scenarios. See more of Christine’s stunning series at annachristinelarson.wordpress.com.

3.

The Art World’s Obsession with Youth May be Fading

Adrian Piper

In case you missed it, the 66-year-old Berlin-based American conceptual artist Adrian Piper won the coveted Golden Lion for best artist in the biennial exhibition “All the World’s Futures,” part of the 56th Venice Biennale. She’s not alone! This recent headline from W Magazine caught our attention: “Young at Art.” The article proffers that “Some of today’s hottest new art wold discoveries (like 100-year-old Carmen Herrera) were definitely not born yesterday.” And it’s about time that the art world and the art market paid attention. Linda Yablonsky aptly notes in W:

The art world’s obsession with youth may be fading. With prices for even facile works by emerging talents accelerating at warp speed, collectors hunting for greater substance are turning to artists who are pushing 80, and counting. Many of these game-changers broke out in the 1960s and ’70s and were driven by feminist, racial, and gender-identity politics to alter every existing medium and invent a few new ones. By experimenting with nascent technology and unconventional materials that included their own bodies, they opened the door for much of the video, performance, and digital art we have today. 

4.

Five Indian Women Whose Lives Led to Landmark Judgments or Laws

Here’s the most unsettling fact: “Almost every legislation for women in India was passed after the death of a woman, a widely reported rape case or a mass agitation that shook the country.” That women have to die or be traumatized in order to shift the judicial system is alarming on many levels. Nevertheless, we appreciated this list of five heroic Indian women whose lives were not lost in vain.

Read more at Live Mint.

5.

How to Talk to Your Kids About the Contributions of African-American Women

Harriet Tubman

Carey Wallace at TIME has some advice for us. She tells us that “parents often tend to focus on the accomplishments of famous men, like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X .  .  . ” but are severely limited in their sharing of the contributions of African-American women. The article shows ways in which elementary school kids can “get curious about the brainpower [of these] women,” how middle school kids “can start to think about the importance of vision,” and how high school students can do a deep dive into the history and learn more than the basics. Read more of this informative piece at TIME.