Melanie Grabowski has always enjoyed photography. When a friend with lipedema asked her to do a photoshoot with her, she immediately agreed. “The ‘perfect’ is not my thing,” says Melanie about her choice of motif. At the time, the trained curative education nurse would not have expected that an entire photo project would grow out of this.
Lipedema: The Unknown Disease
Today Melanie’s photos go around the world. Because the photographer makes an illness visible that many sufferers prefer to hide. No wonder: they are often misunderstood. People with lipedema are not simply overweight. You suffer from a fat distribution disorder, which is by no means selected, but pathological. Fatty tissue accumulates primarily on the hips, buttocks, legs and arms, also known as saddlebags. However, lipoedema is not a purely aesthetic problem, it also often causes pressure and tension pain.
“Lipoedema is an asshole”: How the photo project began
Almost exclusively women are struggling with the disease. According to information from lymph clinics about ten percent of the population are affected. Nevertheless, lipoedema is a foreign word for many: “Why does no one know about it?” Melanie asked herself when she asked her friend Janina about the disease. This could be operated on, the only treatment option that is not purely conservative in relieving the symptoms. Janina became Melanie’s first model. Your before and after shoot was the start of the photo project “Lipoedema is an asshole”.
“Janina and I were not aware that this project was receiving so much attention. We were overwhelmed,” the amateur photographer recalls today. The friends shared the photos on social networks and founded a group for those affected. It quickly became clear: It will not have been the last photo shoot. In the meantime, countless women with lipoedema have been photographed – on the beach, in the city, alone and together.
I want to do some enlightenment
“The more I dealt with the diagnosis, the more I realized how quickly you judge. Me too!” Melanie admits openly. That’s why she sees much more in her project than beautiful photos: “I want to raise awareness and get people to rethink.”
The plan is working. When shooting in public, viewers stop. They don’t look away, they look towards you. They don’t keep quiet, they ask. What is behind the campaign and above all: what the diagnosis of lipoedema means.
Women with lipedema don’t have to hide
Melanie has already achieved more than she had ever hoped for. For the photographer, the inner effect is even more important than the public response: “It is difficult to understand what this does to those affected, some of whom have been in hiding for so long. Suddenly women in shorts go to take out the garbage or start to put on dresses.” reports Melanie, who still touches every shooting.
The photo project continues!
There is currently no end in sight to the project. If you are interested in a photo shoot yourself, you can join the Facebook info group: “Shooting date: lipoedema is an asshole” to join. Nobody is excluded here. This is important to Melanie: “Everyone affected is welcome! Whether operated or not, female, male, with or without a walker. The only costs incurred for the shoot are travel expenses and the umbrella, which you have to buy yourself.“