Breaking the stereotype, Playboy magazine photographer L. Ramachandran shoots with a Bald and Plus-size model
- Ramachandran is a self-taught photographer who has a huge passion for photography and arts. Working with a broad variety of mind, he orchestras a complex artistic profile that emphasizes on capturing the beauty of female presence. He has managed to stay relevant and has been able to re-invent himself in new areas as the area of photography has transformed given the onslaught of the digital revolution. His shots capture complex emotion in frozen instants, portraying moments of deep thought. Capturing the alluring form of human figures, with his technique of manipulating light work has gained him international acclaim.
Recently he had a photoshoot with a plus size, bald female model, Akshaya Navaneethan. The purpose of going bald was to help cancer survivors for which she shaved her head and donated the hair. Dr. L. Ramachandran is well versed and experienced international photographers who are the only Indian representative photographer of Playboy magazine and also holds a Guinness world record. He feels that a woman’s beauty is not based on her looks, it depends on the inner soul. A woman plays many characters in real life, which varies from other perspectives. Her soul and her courage are her real beauty.
L.Ramachandran thinks what made her unique was her strong determination to reach out to other women and motivate them to accept their ‘fat’ bodies and feel beautiful and positive. Akshaya, who hails from Chennai, is a fashion designer by profession. She is also a blogger, plus-size model and anchors various shows as well. She thinks if by shaving her head, it brings discussion and awareness to people’s mind then she has done one small thing to enhance the fight against the disease.
According to him, there is no obligatory standard to be beautiful. A woman’s beauty was never associated with being skinny or fair; such arguments remain only on paper. The popular notion of being attractive is what society believes in It all depends on the purpose of the shoot. As he is shooting for Playboy he takes it in an artistic aesthetic way. They can shoot anything but the message need to be conveyed in a proper manner. It will solve the purpose of the shoot and completely emote the audience. It has become a necessity to stop stereotyping beauty in today’s world. To compete in the industry one needs to be unique and creative. As the digital medium is totally reachable due to technology advancement, one cannot keep on repeating the things.
Not only skinny and tall but plus-size models can also be photogenic as every creation contains its own beauty. And the photogenic part depends on the person behind the camera and not the model. L.Ramachandran has succeeded in changing the fashion industry’s perspective that beauty cannot be defined by one’s physical appearance, is on a journey to bring the same change in society as well.L.Ramachandran tries to break this stigma around female by featuring photographs using different mediums of expression such as clay, body paints, flowers, etc. His work showcased the female form in the purest sense. According to him breaking the stigma of body-shaming is a part of visual art, bringing out humanity with clarity, simplicity, strength, and beauty.
