PROJECT O

THE ORGASM & UNASHAMED SELF PLEASURE

Female self pleasure and orgasm has long been associated with shame.
For centuries, it’s been a concept weaponised by culture, language and doctrine. But things are changing. Now we have an opportunity to step beyond the taboo, challenge misrepresentation and ask ourselves: why don’t we talk about orgasms? And when we do, what is there to say?

Orgasms seem sacred and can be an act of awakening. When we discuss them, we find ourselves talking about concepts like energy, joy, authenticity and inner beauty – an orgasm seems to connect us not only to our deepest selves and our partners, but to the world around us.

If we’re talking biology, an orgasm is a high induced by feel-good chemicals.
It boosts health, alleviates pain and aids sleep. But if we go beyond the science and start to examine what else this pleasure can do for us, the possibilities seem limitless. By unashamedly experiencing an orgasm solo, we can learn what we need, how to communicate with others, ask for what we want and
how to maximise our power.

Orgasms gift us a unique space in which to be vulnerable but they can simultaneously give us clarity, confidence and agency. This particular experience for the body, the mind and our sense of self is something sublime and wild – little wonder it’s been seen as a threat by so many for so long. Women have been taught to feel ashamed of our power, to suppress it and make ourselves smaller. By leaning into it, and embracing the potential

we hold in our bodies, we are whole and untameable.

These portraits capture the root of our authentic force as women, a sort of soul connection to the nature of the possible. They also serve as a starting point for conversations about orgasms, identity, the taboo and the essence of what it means to be capable of shame-less pleasure. For that reason, this isn’t a project about sex, it’s a series that explores reclamation, joy and freedom too.

Each of the women in this series has vulnerably shared a powerful moment with
us in her most authentic and unashamed state. This gives us a rare look at the transcendent experience of an orgasm. Something that has fascinated, intimidated and empowered us, since the beginning.

– Elisabeth Hoff

“Orgasms are my release. They make me feel powerful and beautiful.”

– Maria 

“We all have universal creative energy inside us. And orgasm is an explosion of that energy.”

– Paisley

“Orgasms & self pleasure helped me fall back in love with my body”

– Steph

“It's a superpower”

– ShilpA

“Orgasms bring me back to my body & my love for it” – Elles 

“It’s true connection to myself”

– Claire