This is the story of how social change advocate and leading leakproof apparel brand Modibodi took the unconventional approach of using photography to reclaim the word ‘postpartum’ (meaning the period after childbirth) for women around the world.

When researching how women felt postpartum, we found there was a huge disconnect between the experience many women had and the narrow way in which postpartum experiences were represented in the media. This disconnect was symptomatic of how disengaged society is with the needs of women in the weeks and months after birth. The fact is, the word has been overly medicalised to the point where most of the images we see when we search ‘postpartum’ are disheartening photos of scared or frustrated mums.

We realised if we were really going to empower women through their postpartum experience, it wasn’t enough to launch the new range, we had to reclaim the word.

The solution? EMBODIED #PostpartumUnfiltered. A publicly available image gallery of over 1500 images captured by 28 photographers from 14 countries, who through their own lived experiences offered a real perspective on previously unseen aspects of postpartum life.

Through partnering with Getty Images, Modibodi was able to create an enduring space in culture where women could reclaim the word postpartum, and brands, governments and institutions could access the images to continue to do the same. 

To date, our imagery on GettyImages.com has been licensed by over 480 companies in 51 countries around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Qatar, Norway, India, China, Japan, Chile, The United States and the United Kingdom.

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