“Scars are stories. History written on the body.”
- Kathryn Harrison
Men wear their scars like badges, and most times, with pride. But for women with visible scars, they are an aesthetic burden and hidden with shame. This film seeks to dive into the psychological and emotional world of these women, exploring the connection between the physical and emotional scars they carry in their everyday lives, following them as they share their stories about their own truth, shame, connection, and self-worth.
We are introduced to different women from around the world - representative of various communities and cultures. Their interviews, which serve as the narrator to the film, intertwine with excerpts from their lives. What is the origin of the scar? How has this scar affected her relationships, particularly her most intimate ones? How does she perceive her scar? How do others? Does she consider herself beautiful? Will she ever fully heal?
This film looks closely at how media’s pressures to be perfect - even to be “okay” when one is not - can impede a scarred woman’s healing journey. We examine how these women not only live with insecurities that come from comparing oneself to society’s definition of beauty, but also the guilt they feel for not yet arriving at absolute self-acceptance. The era of Instagram and its never-ending filters is far from disappearing, but the question remains: Will society and the media’s influence ever allow women to truly heal?
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
I was born with gastroschisis. At birth, my intestines were found outside of my 6 pound 3 ounce body through a hole next to my belly button. I was rushed to the children’s hospital for an emergency surgery to return the exposed intestines to the abdominal cavity and close the hole in my abdomen. The gratitude I have for the doctors having
saved my life has been shadowed by the thought that the job could have been done better. My scar, which is 6 inches tall and 3 inches wide and includes multiple small holes from where the staples were placed, resulted in relentless teasing and looks of horror from my grade school and high school peers. Although I had twenty belly buttons to brag about, I was ashamed of my scar. My entire life was about finding ways to cover my stomach. In fact, most of my life was about hiding in shame. I felt so alone.
I decided to find others born with my same condition. As I started my journey into photography, I had the idea of creating a photo book of others with gastroschisis. What did their scars look like? Was it at all similar to mine? I imagined this experience to be therapeutic for all involved, but my search turned out empty-handed. This condition affects only 4 in 10,000 newborns. Until this day, I have yet to meet another person with my same story.
But that’s when I realized that I wasn’t just interested in my story. It wasn’t only about how a person got their scar, but how that scar defined how they saw themselves. As a woman, I also understood that I had a particular experience - different from men, and I wanted to know more about women and their scars. In a world constantly telling women to be perfect, how did these flaws affect them? Were their stories at all similar to mine?
This photo book idea has since evolved into a multi-faceted, multi-media project. To discover these stories, to learn their truths, I would have to document these women - hear their struggles, photograph their pain. This documentary will be accompanied by the photo book, as well as the launch of the website and social media platforms. A photo gallery exhibit will also promote the project and support these stories.
The time for this documentary is now. Social issues relating to girls and women are now being recognized as too important to be set aside, and their voices are finally being heard. Now is the time when these stories can have a platform and be heard with compassion instead of complaints. Now is the time where women can have confidence to express their truths, and feel safe in sharing their stories without feeling judged.
Due to my own experience, I believe I will be able to connect with each woman. I will most likely face challenges in not only finding women who will bring compelling stories and personalities to the film, but also who would be comfortable enough to be vulnerable in front of me and my film crew. I intend to hire an all-female team to create a more intimate setting during filming and to assist with her comfort level as she reveals her scars - wherever it may exist on her body.
FILMMAKERS:
Leslie Alejandro BIO:
Leslie Alejandro is a portrait and editorial photographer based in Los Angeles, CA.
Alejandro spent almost 10 years as Partner/Executive Director/Editor for an entertainment and fashion magazine - producing photo shoots, creative directing, editing content, and set managing. Throughout this process, she oversaw hundreds of photo shoots for the publication, which led her to the world of photography, her favorite form of art. Once she purchased her own DSLR camera, she never looked back.
Alejandro’s work has been published in multiple magazines outlets, such as Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Women’s Health, Schon Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, 1883 Magazine, People Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vanity Fair, Flaunt and more.
In 2016, she finally decided to take a leap of faith and begin her journey into documentary filmmaking and directing. As a longtime equality advocate, Alejandro looks forward to bringing relevant stories to the forefront during these socially and politically crucial times.
Dani de Jesus BIO:
Dani de Jesus is an award-winning educator and facilitator from Los Angeles, CA, but currently residing in Maui, HI.
During her undergraduate years at UCLA, de Jesus was highly involved in organizations advocating for women’s rights. She was the co-executive director of UCLA’s 1st Annual Women’s Leadership Conference (now in it’s 21st year), executive co-chair of The UCLA Clothesline Project, and co-founder of the UCLA Sexual Violence Awareness Advocacy group.
After graduation, de Jesus worked as the director of development at Craig Anderson Productions for six years where she worked with incredible writers, producers, and executives to bring movies and series to the small screen. She then moved to Maui to continue storytelling and fulfill a calling to become a social studies high school teacher. Through her work with other dedicated educators and the national college-prep program
AVID, Maui High School has led the state of Hawai’i to the highest percent increase in college enrollment from 2012 to 2017.
de Jesus believes in the educational power of the media, and is determined to bring forth stories that ELEVATE and ENGAGE. We have to look inside in order to create a different world. This is why television and films are so important to our individual psyche and collective evolution.
Pitch Deck
…
Casting Call
photo by Volkan Olmez
WE ARE LOOKING FOR STORIES
VOLUNTEERS/SUBJECTS/SOCIAL CHARACTERS FOR A PERSONAL PHOTO PROJECT/DOCUMENTARY.
IF YOU OR YOU KNOW ANY WOMEN WITH INTERESTING SCARS ANYWHERE ON YOUR FACE/BODY, (ig. whether it be from birth or acquired at any time in life), AND WANT TO SHARE YOUR/THEIR STORY, PLEASE CONTACT ME EITHER THROUGH DM or EMAIL AT: contact@BookOfScars.com.
I am finally starting the journey I've dreamed of since when I was a young, teenage girl, when I thought I had the only scar of my kind (a large, visible 6 inch scar on my abdomen due to a condition I was born with called gastroschisis) , and wanted to find others with similar situations who have struggled both physically and emotionally in their own lives because of this particular aesthetic “burden.”
Book of Scars is an on-going photo collection and project created to build a safe space and platform for women who want to share their story about how as a woman, these scars have made an impact in their personal lives, how they view themselves because of it, the effects and situations it has caused them in connecting with others, and their personal process towards healing.
I look forward to meeting all of you. Please feel free to share this post. Thank you. For more information, please go to www.bookofscars.com
