Stretch mark art is a unique new way we can learn to love our bodies
Summer rolls around and the first thing we freak out about is getting into a bikini. *shudders*. Why are we so shook though? Maybe it’s the mid-winter Love Island binge watching session that stopped us from hitting the gym (guilty!), or perhaps covering up due to the cold has left us feeling too pale to show our pins in public – but at least those are things we can change, right? Holla fake tan and a few summer bod sweat sessions!
When it comes to stretch marks though – which an estimated 80 percent of people have – we often feel helpless, despite the fact that they’re often a sign of significant life moments we celebrate, like pregnancy, or growing taller in your teens. Thankfully one groundbreaking artist sees the beauty in these lines we try to exfoliate away, and she’s celebrating them on social media by turning stretch marks into unique and colourful art.
Cinta Tort Cartró, or Zineta as she’s known online, is a 21-year-old Barcelona-based artist and feminist who’s on a mission to change our perception of female body imperfections.
“It all started as a form of expression, but it quickly turned into social commentary of the male-dominated culture we live in,” she told Yahoo Beauty, talking about the waves of rainbow lines she paints on people’s body in place of stretch marks. “I grew up feeling sometimes out of place. I’m tall and big, so it’s important for me to state in my art that everyone is beautiful and those ‘flaws’ are not that. They make us unique and special.”
The “flaws” she touches on go beyond stretch marks, too. Her Instagram is also filled with glitter-filled and rainbow-dyed underwear in representation of period stains to remind women that menstruation isn’t a stigma women should feel ashamed about. #manchoynomedoyasco is the name of the new series and translates to “I stain myself, and I’m not grossed-out by it.”
A post shared by ¿ Cinta Tort Cartró (@zinteta) on
“We live in 2017. Why is there still stigma revolving around periods?” Cartró explained.
With 13,000 followers, it’s clear her messages about body positivity and feminism are resonating and we can’t wait to see what art she does next.
