500 Women Photographed Around the World
Photo: © 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty, published by Ten Speed Press
When Romanian photographer Mihaela Noroc first started out, her only two subjects were her mother and sister. Then a 2013 backpacking trip to Ethiopia inspired her to work on a much larger scale — she spent the next four years photographing about 2,000 women in 53 countries. The culmination of her project is the book Atlas of Beauty: Women of the World in 500 Portraits, out September 26 from Ten Speed Press.
Noroc’s lush, colorful photographs are accompanied by each subject’s story, written as vignettes alongside each portrait. She met a pop singer in Iceland, a vegetable vendor in Guatemala, and a helicopter pilot who works for the Mexican Federal Police. Her other subjects included a two-time cancer survivor, a poet, a nurse-in-training, and a photographer like herself. An array of nationalities and cultures converge in the portfolio: in one striking image taken in Ethiopia, a Muslim woman sits at a coffee shop owned by her best friend, who is Christian. At another shoot in Berlin, a Malian-French woman discusses being considered white in Mali and black in Europe, and how she sees herself as both.
“The idea is that we are all part of the same diverse family,” Noroc said in an interview. “In the end, beauty is in our differences. It’s about being yourself, natural and authentic, not about trends, race, or social status.” Click ahead to see some of her photographs: traditional straw-skirted wedding dresses in Ecuador, an Iranian graphic designer wearing a black lace headscarf, and a young Nepalese woman looking back from a yellow row-boat.
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Sona. Kathmandu, Nepal. “Sona is celebrating Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, and among the most spectacular gatherings I witnessed in my trav...
Sona. Kathmandu, Nepal. “Sona is celebrating Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, and among the most spectacular gatherings I witnessed in my travels. A time to forgive and to be forgiven, Holi marks the coming of spring, when good triumphs over evil.”
Photo: © 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty; published by Ten Speed Press/© 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty, published by Ten Speed Press
Name not provided. Omo Valley, Ethiopia. “With the high temperatures here, nudity is not unusual. Her tribe is called the Daasanach and they have...
Name not provided. Omo Valley, Ethiopia. “With the high temperatures here, nudity is not unusual. Her tribe is called the Daasanach and they have lived in isolation for generations.”
Photo: © 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty; published by Ten Speed Press/© 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty, published by Ten Speed Press
Amal. Ramallah, Palestinian Territories. “Amal — her name means ‘hope’ in Arabic — is Palestinian, but had lived in Saudi Arabia from age five, w...
Amal. Ramallah, Palestinian Territories. “Amal — her name means ‘hope’ in Arabic — is Palestinian, but had lived in Saudi Arabia from age five, when her family moved there. She said, ‘One year ago, I came back to Palestine for my studies. I really feel at home here. I feel I can become the woman I want to be.’”
Photo: © 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty; published by Ten Speed Press/© 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty, published by Ten Speed Press
Name not provided. Chichicastenango, Guatemala “Many women of the world carry great burdens every day, either literally or figuratively. And they...
Name not provided. Chichicastenango, Guatemala “Many women of the world carry great burdens every day, either literally or figuratively. And they do it with so much tenderness and positivity.”
Photo: © 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty; published by Ten Speed Press/© 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty, published by Ten Speed Press
Anais. Berlin, Germany. “Anais has a Malian mother and a French father. When she travels to Mali, people consider her to be white. When she’s in ...
Anais. Berlin, Germany. “Anais has a Malian mother and a French father. When she travels to Mali, people consider her to be white. When she’s in Europe, she’s seen as black. But Anais says she feels both African and European, even if on any given day her clothing expresses a particular part of her heritage.”
Photo: © 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty; published by Ten Speed Press/© 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty, published by Ten Speed Press
Samira. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. “I met Samira in her best friend’s coffee shop. She is Muslim and her friend is Christian. While visiting this stu...
Samira. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. “I met Samira in her best friend’s coffee shop. She is Muslim and her friend is Christian. While visiting this stunning country, I saw many beautiful friendships that go beyond religion. But there were also terrible conflicts, rooted in differences of ethnicity. Samira’s serene look gives me hope that kind-hearted people like her will make this world a better place.”
Photo: © 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty; published by Ten Speed Press/© 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty, published by Ten Speed Press
Name not provided. Kathmandu, Nepal. “She was walking with her son. She didn’t speak English, but he did. So I told him I wanted to photograph hi...
Name not provided. Kathmandu, Nepal. “She was walking with her son. She didn’t speak English, but he did. So I told him I wanted to photograph his mother. And he asked me why. ‘Because she’s beautiful.’ He proudly smiled and looked at his mother. ‘Yes, she is.’”
Photo: © 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty; published by Ten Speed Press/© 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty, published by Ten Speed Press
Name not provided. Wakhan Corridor, Afghanistan. “She was working in the field in one of the most remote places of the world. The people and the ...
Name not provided. Wakhan Corridor, Afghanistan. “She was working in the field in one of the most remote places of the world. The people and the natural surroundings are beautiful, but life is so harsh. The violent conflicts that have plagued Afghanistan for the past 40 years never reached her village but were never far away, and made it impossible for her to improve her life.”
Photo: © 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty; published by Ten Speed Press/© 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty, published by Ten Speed Press
Abby and Angela. New York City, USA. “Abby and Angela are sisters with an Ethiopian mother and a Nigerian father. Both parents worked for the Uni...
Abby and Angela. New York City, USA. “Abby and Angela are sisters with an Ethiopian mother and a Nigerian father. Both parents worked for the United Nations so the sisters grew up in six different countries, on three different continents. This gave them a broad perspective and allowed them to see where need was the greatest. After graduation, they both plan to move to Africa and put their knowledge in the service of that amazing continent. Their enthusiasm is inspiring, and Angela’s words express that perfectly: ‘Among my peers in my age group, I want to start a movement of coming back to the continent. I want to shine a light on the potential of my people, and I want to lift the entire region out of the health conflict it is in, putting power in the brilliant youth, using local talent, and customizing policies that work in the African setting rather than transposing Western policies.’”
Photo: © 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty; published by Ten Speed Press/© 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty, published by Ten Speed Press
Name not provided. Havana, Cuba. “An actress? A model? No, she wishes only to finish her studies and become a nurse.”
Photo: © 2017 by Mihaela ...
Name not provided. Havana, Cuba. “An actress? A model? No, she wishes only to finish her studies and become a nurse.”
Photo: © 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty; published by Ten Speed Press/© 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty, published by Ten Speed Press
Name not provided. Pokhara, Nepal. “Sunday afternoons look the same in many places — city people spending time in nature. But there was something...
Name not provided. Pokhara, Nepal. “Sunday afternoons look the same in many places — city people spending time in nature. But there was something magical about that Sunday and that place.”
Photo: © 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty; published by Ten Speed Press/© 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty, published by Ten Speed Press
Mahsa. Tehran, Iran. “Her name is Mahsa, which means 'like a moon' in Persian. When she was an adolescent, her father insisted that she study to ...
Mahsa. Tehran, Iran. “Her name is Mahsa, which means 'like a moon' in Persian. When she was an adolescent, her father insisted that she study to become a doctor, but Mahsa was more interested in the arts and she chose to become a graphic designer. She is proud that from the time she turned eighteen, she has been financially independent, and soon plans to open her own firm.”
Photo: © 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty; published by Ten Speed Press/© 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty, published by Ten Speed Press
Name not provided. Amazon Rainforest, Ecuador. “More and more tribes of Amazonia are starting to adopt modern clothes for everyday life. But they...
Name not provided. Amazon Rainforest, Ecuador. “More and more tribes of Amazonia are starting to adopt modern clothes for everyday life. But they are still keeping their traditional clothes for important events. I photographed this young woman in her wedding outfit.”
Photo: © 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty; published by Ten Speed Press/© 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty, published by Ten Speed Press
Name not provided. Cuenca, Ecuador. “A moment of tenderness at the food market.”
Photo: © 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty; publi...
Name not provided. Cuenca, Ecuador. “A moment of tenderness at the food market.”
Photo: © 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty; published by Ten Speed Press/© 2017 by Mihaela Noroc from The Atlas of Beauty, published by Ten Speed Press
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