#BehindTheScars: Celebrating Scars and the Stories Behind Them as Captured by Photographer Sophie Mayanne

By JUICE Malaysia  •  10 Jul 2017 in Design

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Sophie Mayanne is a 24-year-old fashion and portrait photographer whose portfolio includes working for notable publications like Dazed Digital, L’Officiel ES, i-D NL, and many others. Recently though, Sophie launched a photo series that focuses on sharing the stories behind the permanent scars people carry; it’s called Behind the Scars.

The anecdotes vary between casual events like climbing over fences and accidentally cutting themselves on barbwire and more personal ones that involve self-harm. Each photograph captures the subject’s raw feelings and imperfections, but more importantly, it opens the virtual window for Sophie’s audience to share their own stories based on what they’ve seen.

Browse through some of Sophie’s uploads on Instagram below:

#behindthescars Luca “This scar is the result of trying to climb over a fence late at night as it was a huge shortcut, as it was late no one saw the barbed wire sticking out and when I fell it cut my hand open.” || We are next shooting for the series on the 28th of May. Email [email protected] if you would like to be involved.

A post shared by SOPHIE MAYANNE (@sophiemayanne) on Apr 27, 2017 at 3:18am PDT

#behindthescars Morena “I am a fashion designer and my hands are my gifts from the sky. My dream is to open my own atelier but I need money. I am working in a restaurant so I can save some money to make my dream possible. Once I was cleaning a table and I broke a plate. The broken ceramic passed through my little finger, right to the ligament. A sign on my body forever, to remind me how much I do to make my dreams and passions come true.”

A post shared by SOPHIE MAYANNE (@sophiemayanne) on Apr 19, 2017 at 6:04am PDT

#behindthescars Ashleigh “I’ve struggled with self harm since I was 8. For as long as I can remember, my emotions have been very intense, this was one of the ways I learnt to cope. I have been stuck wearing long sleeves regardless of the weather. The appearance of my arms is one of my biggest secrets. Learning to embrace my scars and accept them as part of me is a major step. I also feel that hiding them away perpetuates the feeling of guilt/shame. “

A post shared by SOPHIE MAYANNE (@sophiemayanne) on May 15, 2017 at 11:35am PDT

View the photo series in its entirety here. 

Follow Sophie on Instagram here and if its possible to give financial support to her work, you can do so here. 

If you dig Sophie, check out Singaporean photographer Nguan here too.