Earlier this year, actress Caitlin Stasey of the CW show Reign launched Herself, a website where women strip down to be photographed nude and answer deeply personal questions about themselves. Stasey was the first to participate and explore what sexuality, body confidence, and feminism mean to her. The images are striking; the answers are raw. Here, the native Australian discusses her relationship with acting, the pioneering website she founded, and how she defines beauty.
Did you always want to be an actress? "When I was little, it seemed like this amazing, glamorous, luxurious lifestyle. And of course it is, comparatively, but it's a lot of hard work. And it's also incredibly disheartening at times. The hardest part of being an actor is the downtime. All the money you make from one job is essentially paying for the time you spend off. But I guess I always wanted to do it. I think I'm less committed [to] and attached [to] and interested in a career as a film star, per se. I would really love to just continue doing odd jobs here and there and things that I like."
Has your work with Herself affected your idea of what beauty is? "It definitely has. My idea of beauty now is very specific to the individual. If someone is attractive, I think that it's so secondary to the content of your character. I've met people who are absolutely gorgeous, and they're loathsome individuals. And then I've met people who you probably wouldn't consider attractive, and they're the most unfathomably beautiful individuals possible. But I still fall victim to the ideas of traditional beauty that we witness in film and television. And being an actor, my life is so removed from reality. I spend 90 percent of my time with some of the most beautiful people you can imagine. I was at a dinner with my cast, and I was looking around and thought, Everyone here is fucking gorgeous. But this isn't the world. This isn't reality. This isn't society."
Where did the idea for your website come from? "Initially I wanted to create a space for women to discuss varying health issues. I feel like female sexuality is something we don't really talk about. And then I realized that there are so many issues beyond that that need addressing. And also I wanted to ask women questions that I know I've never been asked."
How do the nude photos tie in? "That was a secondary idea. We see one kind of body championed constantly, and it's white, slim, big-breasted, hairless, Aphrodite. I think it's incredibly harmful that we don't celebrate varying body parts that don't fit into what is considered the male perspective. I think there are men and women who don't see many vaginas outside of pornography or their own personal experiences with them. I also know so many women who have been ashamed of their breasts, legs, or stomachs their whole lives. We waste so much time and effort apologizing to ourselves when there are women who are living freely and loving themselves. If you can witness that in someone else, maybe it can encourage you to feel the same way."
Do you find these women participate for similar reasons? "It's funny because some of the first women who started on the website were from within the sex-work community, and some of them were very used to being nude in various circumstances. Then there were women who just wanted to take part in something that scared them. And ever since that first batch, we've had so many emails from different people who are like, I want to reclaim my body. I was sexually assaulted, and I feel like it's been taken from me.' Or there was a young girl who grew up with an eating disorder who also wanted to reclaim herself. And a woman who has young daughters who wanted them not to feel ashamed of what their bodies are going to turn into and look like. And trans women who, regardless of the body parts they were born with, feel like and are women and want to saturate our current society with the idea that womanhood can mean anything and come from anywhere."
Do you still have any personal insecurities or fears? "I'm still insecure about my body. I still have days where I wish I looked like something else. I've definitely Googled "butt reshaping" or "rhinoplasty." But I'm happy with the way that I look. I really am. I won't say that there isn't this allure of knowing that I can change it. And I'm not necessarily opposed to plastic surgery. If you are happy but also know that you could be happier, then great. I would never begrudge somebody going through that. But at the same time, it's so much money. With my body, I've got stretch marks. I've got really short legs. I've got this little belly that won't go away. I've got a really small waist and big hips. I feel really out of proportion. Sometimes I feel like I'm a little fun-house mirror reflection. But that's fine. I meet people I'm attracted to and who are attracted to me."
What makes you feel the most beautiful? "When I feel powerful. When I feel like I'm in control of a narrative that I'm putting out there. I feel like my most beautiful when I'm truly expressing myself and captivating people. And that's a very actor thing to want to do. But I love engaging with people. People are compelled to be around you when you are happy and confident and engaging."
Is there any part of your beauty routine that you're consistent about? "I have an epilator. And I also bleach a lot of my body hair. I don't want to remove the hair on my arms because I think that would look kind of weird on me. So I bleach that. I bleach my face. I've got dark hair that just grows on my body because, you know, I'm just a swarthy individual. And sometimes I feel bad that I go to such lengths to conceal it, but I use a lot of home bleach. Let me tell you. I also have an eyebrow pencil that means to world to me. It's a Chanel eyebrow pencil in taupe. And it has literally changed my life."
To read more inspiring stories from women who bare all, check out:
• Jordana Brewster Goes Nude for Allure
