LAKEWOOD, Ohio — A group of girls from Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood are getting the opportunity to tell their personal stories by taking powerful photographs that reflect their lives.
The effort is part of the nonprofit True Beauty Discovery, which aims to reframe the way girls and women think and talk about beauty through frank conversations and profiles meant to inspire and empower.
For more than a month, a half-dozen middle school girls have been taking photographs, which will be on display in a special exhibition Saturday (Nov. 22) at 78th Street Studios in Cleveland.
“True Beauty Discovery supports girls — inspiring them and empowering them to understand that it’s their individuality that makes them beautiful and powerful and capable,” True Beauty Discovery founder Holly Fulger said.
Working is in partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio out of its Broadway Club, the girls learned about True Beauty Discovery.
The program is built around seven “legends” and their personality-driven types that reflect inclusiveness and the individual spirit of beauty.
The legends include The Dreamer, The Sleuth, The Warrior, The Enthusiast, The Trailblazer, The Activist and The Luminary.
“They took a quiz about the seven legends that are personality-driven aesthetics to find their strengths,” Fulger said.
“Next, they were given point-and-shoot cameras. Then, each week, they got a prompt about taking photographs of their life using the lens as their legend to find the qualities that make them the strongest.”
A 1974 Lakewood High School graduate, Fulger became a successful Hollywood actress (“Anything But Love,” “thirtysomething,” “Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century,” “Ellen”), as well as a writer and producer.
She returned to Northeast Ohio about five years ago.
The Westlake resident said she sees her younger self in the teenagers.
“Their understanding of their worlds, what they love, their families and who they are — it’s so amazing to see,” she said.
“It’s just been the coolest thing to work with these girls and see them start to understand how to express themselves through photography.
“I’m just so excited for this exhibit, and so are they.”
The photo display includes a donation component that will go toward a scholarship.
Fulger is also hoping to expose the world of photography to the girls.
“I want them to see that photography can be a career,” she said.
“It’s an art form, and their points of view and their voices are important.”
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