Caroline Sheanshang
Womanhood
2020
Last year my grandmother passed away. Through all of the grieving and reminiscing on the incredible life she lived, I began to realize more broadly how many lives she touched and changed. I was in awe at some of the things she suffered through that I had no idea about. She was so strong and resilient. I began to reflect on the other women in my life and came to the realization that even just within one family, the experiences of each woman were so broad and different, yet we were all unified. Just within my family there are women who have never married and had kids, widows, women who have experienced divorce, women who have lost children to illness, mothers, grandmothers, women wanting desperately to be mothers but are experiencing infertility, and many other unique life experiences.
This project includes portraits of a handful of these women in my family. Through these images, I hoped to show their individuality. Each woman is talented at something different, each has a unique personality. They are important not because of how many children they bring into the world or how much money they make. They are important because they are strong, capable women who have interests and talents, and through those unique qualities, they change the world. Womanhood is truly a powerful thing.
Lorie sits at the kitchen table of her parents' home the night following the funeral and internment of her mother.
Katelyn is a new elementary school teacher who is extremely loving, positive, and full of sunshine.
Jayda loves to read, sing, longboard, and play with her dog. She's the oldest child and grandchild which has resulted in her being very close to her aunts. Her parents were divorced when she was 4 years old.
Katy has a Master's Degree, is extremely creative, and the mother of three. Here she holds the latest addition to her family who has to be on oxygen since his recent birth.
Jean is the mother of 6 children, a widow of 3 years, and sharp as a tack at 93 years old. Here she sits in the home she has lived in for over 50 years which she will soon leave for assisted living.
Annie returned home early from a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Indiana due to sickness and she continues to serve as a missionary from home in different capacities despite her illness.
Stephanie holds her newborn baby girl, the first daughter of her own after two sons and a step-daughter.
Julie has a Master's Degree, is the mother of 5 children, and currently serves as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Kate has been teaching Elementary School for 3 years and is the first teacher at her school to have also been a student there. She loves Harry Potter and works tirelessly to make her students feel loved and cared for.
Emily is a nurse at a local hospital and the mother of two little girls. With both of her pregnancies, she finished her shift and then walked down to labor and delivery to give birth.
Caroline is a photographer and artist, a first-time expecting mother, and a recent college graduate.
