In a society where narrow beauty standards dominate, feeling confident and empowered in your own appearance can be challenging—especially for those whom society often overlooks, such as women with disabilities. These women frequently face deep-seated stigma rooted in harmful stereotypes, societal misconceptions, and exclusionary narratives. While media representation has made strides in including more women with disabilities and challenging outdated myths, there is still much progress to be made to reshape how we think about beauty and disability, particularly in academic and professional spaces.
The Bold Beauty Project is a powerful visual arts exhibition that celebrates women with a wide range of disabilities. Through large-scale portraits paired with deeply personal narratives, the project offers an intimate, striking exploration of what it means to be a woman with a disability. The Miami based non-profit was founded by disability rights advocate Shelly Baer, LCSW and Dr. Eva Ritvo, M.D., joined as co-director in 2015. The project’s mission for over 10 years has been to create “social change by utilizing art at the intersection of beauty and disability” and they have created shows around the US and in Panama.
In 2022, along with Karamot Adeola and Evie Strauss, I helped launch The Bold Beauty Project: University Edition—the first-ever collegiate version of the Bold Beauty Project. This student-led initiative brought together undergraduate and graduate women from both the University of Miami and Florida International University, featuring models with both visible and invisible disabilities.
The experience of directing the Bold Beauty Project in 2022 had a profound impact on me. In 2023, I began my Masters of Public Health Degree at the Yale School of Public Health to delve deeper into the study of health and well-being. I found myself reflecting on the work I had done with the Bold Beauty Project as an undergraduate, and I knew I wanted to bring this transformative initiative to Yale. After sharing the idea with Dr. Ritvo, I was met with unwavering encouragement and support.
In fall 2024, I reached out to the executive board of Disability Empowerment in Public Health at Yale (DEPHY)—a cross-disability community of graduate students who identify as disabled, neurodivergent, chronically ill, or living with mental health conditions, as well as allies—to collaborate on bringing this vision to life. Together, we began recruiting models and photographers to develop what would become the Bold Beauty Project: Yale Edition.
Throughout the spring semester, I’ve worked closely with our lead photographer, model coordinator, and DEPHY executive leadership team to create an immersive, visual-audio exhibition that celebrates the strength, resilience, and beauty of Yale-affiliated women living with disabilities and chronic health conditions. Featuring the work of student photographers, the exhibit will spotlight powerful portraits accompanied by written and audio narratives, offering a deeply personal window into each model and photographer’s story, inspiration, and relationship with beauty. Our goal is to use storytelling and art to redefine beauty, challenge assumptions, and broaden the narrative surrounding disability. We hope you will join us.
The Bold Beauty Project: Yale Edition will debut as a one-night-only event on Friday, April 18, 2025, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health. To register for the event, click here. For more information about the Bold Beauty Project and to explore past exhibitions, visit: www.BoldBeautyProject.com or @boldbeautyproj on Instagram.
Cassandra Michel is a Masters of Public Health candidate at the Yale School of Public Health
