- At the age of 18, Cait realised she could combine her life two greatest passions- the ocean and photography
- When she began photographing women, she noticed everyone had one thing in common and that was a discomfort around their natural features and flaws
- So, to make a change, Cait embarked on a mission called project Laugh Lines, to photograph 1000 women around the world just as they are to show them their true beauty
Here Cait Miers, 33, Torquay, Vic, tells her story in her own words
Saltwater droplets trickled from the surfer’s hair as she waded out of the ocean, her board tucked under one arm.
‘Beautiful!’ I smiled, lifting my camera as the afternoon sun lit her face.
Click… Click… Click…
Beaming from ear to ear as the waves lapped around her ankles, she was completely unaware of how incredible she looked.
It was 2018, and I was travelling the world photographing some of the biggest names in women’s surfing.
Growing up on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, I’d felt happiest by the ocean. I was always at the beach, swimming, surfing and soaking up nature.
So when I picked up a camera in 2011, aged 18, I soon realised I could combine my two greatest passions – the ocean and photography. Within a few years, I’d built a career shooting surf, fashion and lifestyle campaigns.
READ MORE: Bullied growing up, this risqué hobby taught Charlotte to love her body
From Byron Bay to Bali and beyond, I worked with clients including surf brands Roxy, Rip Curl, and Billabong, the World Surf League and activewear brand Lululemon, photographing athletes and models in some of the most beautiful places on Earth.
Watching my subjects frolic around as if I wasn’t there became my favourite part of every shoot.
It wasn’t the perfectly posed shots I’d been hired to capture, but afterwards, when people relaxed, forgot about the camera and became themselves.
But now, as the woman wandered over to look at the photos, her smile faded.
‘Can we delete that one? I don’t like that angle. Can you see wrinkles around my eyes?’ she asked.
‘Can we delete that one? I don’t like that angle. Can you see wrinkles around my eyes?’
I looked back at the same image in disbelief.
All I could see was a strong, happy, naturally beautiful woman, yet she saw someone who wasn’t enough. Sadly, it wasn’t uncommon.
Every day I was surrounded by confident, adventurous females who inspired me, yet no matter where the shoot was or who stood in front of my lens, I noticed the same. They couldn’t see the beauty staring back at them.
READ MORE: Meet 106 year-old Elva – crowned Queen for a day!
Hearing the same things time after time, niggled at me.
Then, at the end of 2023, I had a realisation.
The problem wasn’t the photos. It was the way women saw themselves.
What if I photographed women exactly as they are? No make-up, no filters, no editing. I wonder whether reactions are the same the world over? What if I could help them see themselves differently? I thought.
I wanted to create something that felt less like a photoshoot and more like a social experiment. More than anything, I wanted women to realise their wrinkles, freckles, scars and laugh lines weren’t imperfections – they were a map of every smile, tear, lesson, heartbreak, triumph and experience that had shaped them into the women they were.
‘What if I photographed women exactly as they are? ‘
Calling my project Laugh Lines, because to me every line tells a story, I decided to photograph 1000 women around the world, from all walks of life, all united by one simple challenge – to be photographed exactly as they are.
I had no idea whether anyone would want to take part, but I knew I had to try. After sharing the idea online and inviting women to join the movement, I organised my first Laugh Lines shoot this June.
READ MORE: Why Ruby is turning grans into goddesses
Olympian skier Lydia Lassila, who I’d met and snapped in the past, came to show her support by posing as one of my subjects. ‘One down, 999 to go,’ I smiled afterwards.
Then I travelled to a women’s surf festival in Kingscliff, NSW, where I set up a stall. Slowly a handful of women approached one by one.
‘Hi, I’m Cait,’ I smiled. ‘There’s no pressure today. You don’t have to pose or be anyone else. I just want you to be you.’
Showing them what I’d captured afterwards, I was moved by their reactions.
‘I can’t believe that’s me,’ one woman whispered, tears welling in her eyes. ‘I actually like this photo.’
It filled my cup to see her transform from coy to confident, and embrace the true self she’d buried for so long.
‘I can’t believe that’s me.’
Three weeks later, after hosting pop-up shoots across NSW and Victoria, in between my regular job as a photographer, I’d captured 125 women. Some would chat, while others were hesitant, mustering all their courage not to turn around and walk away.
‘I can’t bring myself to look at it,’ one said, refusing to even take a peek at her photo.
‘What brings you here?’ I asked, intrigued.
‘I forced myself to be a part of this because it’s important I model self-acceptance for my daughter and her generation,’ she replied.
All the reactions were incredible.
‘I almost didn’t come because I’ve never left my house without make-up,’ one older lady confessed.
‘You should be proud to have been so brave and stepped outside your comfort zone,’ I praised.
Then as I gently clicked away, her nerves melted, her smile became genuine and her laughter grew.
‘I’m not going to feel vulnerable about not wearing make-up ever again,’ she chimed, standing a little taller.
Women from all over Australia have asked when Laugh Lines will be coming to their town.
So far, over 2000 women have signed up online to be photographed, blowing my initial 1000 target out of the water – and that’s before I’ve even taken the project overseas!
Through Laugh Lines, I want the world to know that beauty isn’t something we need to chase, it’s something we’ve had all along. Every freckle, scar, wrinkle, blemish and laugh line isn’t something to hide or that needs fixing – it’s something we reveal.
I wish for every woman to be able to look in the mirror and see what I see through my lens, and view herself through kinder eyes.
