Melanie Grabowski always liked to take pictures. When a friend with lipedema asked her to do a photo shoot with her, she immediately agreed. "I don't like the 'perfect'," says Melanie about her choice of motifs. At that time, the trained nursing nurse would not have expected that an entire photo project would grow out of it.
Lipedema: the unknown disease
Today Melanie's photos go around the world. Because the photographer makes an illness visible that many affected prefer to hide. No wonder: they are often misunderstood. People with lipedema are not just overweight. You have a fat distribution disorderwhich is by no means chosen, but rather pathological. Adipose tissue primarily accumulates on the hips, bottom, legs and arms, also known as riding pants. However, lipedema is not a purely aesthetic problem, it also often causes pressure and tension pain.
"Lipedema is an asshole": How the photo project started
Almost exclusively women struggle with the disease. According to information from lymphatic clinics, about ten percent of the population are affected. Nevertheless, lipedema is a foreign word for many: "Why doesn't anyone know that?" Melanie asked herself when she asked her friend Janina about the illness. This was operated on, the only treatment option that is not purely conservative in relieving the symptoms. Janina became Melanie's first model. Her before and after shoot was the start of the photo project "Lipedema is an asshole".
"Janina and I were not aware that this project received so much attention. We were overwhelmed," recalls the hobby photographer today. The friends shared the photos on social networks and founded a group for those affected. It quickly became clear that it would not have been the last photo shoot. In the meantime, countless women with lipedema have been photographed – on the beach, in the city, alone and together.
I would like to provide information
"The more I dealt with the diagnosis, the more I realized how quickly you can judge. Me too!" Melanie admits openly. That is why there is much more to her project than beautiful photos: "I want to educate and make people rethink."
The plan is working. Spectators stop at public shootings. They don't look away, they look. They are not silent, they ask. What is behind the campaign and, above all, what the diagnosis of lipedema means.
Women with lipedema don't have to hide
Melanie has already achieved more than she had ever hoped for. For the photographer, however, the inner impact is even more important than the public response: "It is difficult to understand what this does to those affected, some of whom have been hiding for so long. Suddenly women in shorts go down to the trash or start putting on clothes, "says Melanie, who still touches every shoot.
The photo project continues!
There is currently no end in sight for the project. If you are interested in a photo shoot yourself, you can use the Facebook info group: "Shooting date: lipedema is an asshole" to join. Nobody is excluded here. This is important to Melanie: "Everyone concerned is welcome! No matter whether operated, unoperated, female, male, with a walker or without. The only costs that are incurred for the shoot are travel expenses and the umbrella, which you have to buy yourself."