The “What I Be Project” is all about honesty. In today’s society, we are told to look or act a certain way. If we differ from these “standards,” we are often judged, ridiculed, and sometimes even killed over them. Steve Rosenfield started this project in hopes to open up the lines of communication, and to help everyone accept diversity with an open mind & heart. Each person that takes part in the project is extremely courageous! They are putting their insecurities out in the open, and exposing a side of themselves that nobody has seen before. By stating “I am not my_____,” they are claiming that they do in fact struggle with these issues, but it does not define who they are as a person. It is not aimed for people to say “You’re not fat,” or “You don’t have love handles.” It is to spread awareness on what people go through due to society’s paved roads. These are serious issues that some of us can live with, but most battle on a day-to-day basis. We encourage every viewer to look at each image and put yourself in the individuals shoes. By allowing yourself to feel what they feel, you might realize something you’ve never noticed before. If you don’t understand someone’s message, stay tuned. To eliminate any confusion, each participant will be writing a 500 word or less statement explaining how their insecurity has affected their life. We would like to thank you for showing interest in this project, and for taking the time to read what it’s all about.

To check out the project page, see whatibeproject.com. To engage with the project through comments on facebook click here. Thank you to Shirley Gao ‘13 and Mohammed Mousavian ‘15 for bringing this project to Princeton!