Photo Series ‘The Atlas of Beauty’ Captures Women’s Diversity

Two years ago, 30-year-old Romanian photographer Mihaela Noroc decided to quit her job, take out her savings and travel the world. A minimalist, she ditched her stacks of suitcases for just a backpack and a camera.

Her childhood was one “surrounded by colors” as she states on her website. Her artistic eye is certainly hereditary, as her father was painter. At age 16 Noroc knew she wanted to explore art through photography, but understood the financial implications of such a dream.

After years of working in other fields to make a living, at the age of 27 Noroc packed her bags and left for the airport, pouring her heart and savings into a project she would eventually call “The Atlas of Beauty.” In this project, she photographed women around the world surrounded by the geography and culture of their homelands.

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She has African and European roots and she loves the diversity of the world. Imane is from Paris and studies arts. Besides going to her university she also works in 3 restaurants and does babysitting to support herself. She had some time before a job interview so when I noticed her she was visiting an art exhibition in Pompidou Centre from Paris. That’s the ideal place to think about her dream. Imane wishes to have a big art gallery someday that will bring artists from very different cultures, together, so she could combine her love for arts and for diversity. #TheAtlasOfBeauty #AroundTheWorld #Paris #Arts

A photo posted by The Atlas Of Beauty (@the.atlas.of.beauty) on Dec 5, 2016 at 7:57am PSTThere’s something magical about the island of Sardinia, Italy. Sardinians gather often for festivals and parades to present their beautiful outfits, dances and music. Almost each town and village has its own costumes and the diversity is incredible for one single region. Giulia is from a small Sardinian town called Villaurbana. I met her in August, during the Feast of the Redeemer in Nuoro. #TheAtlasOfBeauty #AroundTheWorld #Sardinia #Italy

This Kurdish woman left her home in Syria to save her children from a terrible war. I met her three months ago in the refugee camp from Idomeni, Greece, where she was living in a small tent together with her husband and their three kids. There were so many feelings inside of her. She seemed terrified by what she saw in Syria. Happy, because she saved her children from a war. Sad and worried, because she didn’t have any idea about where and when her horrible journey will end. There are millions of refugees from Syria and most of them lost almost everything. Besides some clothes, a tent and a few photos with beautiful memories, all they have left is hope. #TheAtlasOfBeauty #AroundTheWorld #Refugee #Greece

A photo posted by The Atlas Of Beauty (@the.atlas.of.beauty) on Aug 14, 2016 at 10:27am PDT

With every image, she pushes her viewers to redefine what beauty means.

Elisabeth is from Zürich, Switzerland. In 1947, when she was a teenager, Elisabeth became a model for a ceramic artist. She fell in love with ceramic art and day by day she learned it by watching. And that’s how it became her passion and profession for the rest of her life. She had to stop twice. At 39 years old she had a terrible car accident and she went through 19 surgeries. Almost 35 years later she had to stop again. Her husband was diagnosed with cancer and Elisabeth took care of him till the last moment of his life. Today Elisabeth’s work is displayed in many public areas of Switzerland. When I met her a few weeks ago on the streets of Zürich, she was coming from a printing shop where she picked up some business cards. At 83 years old she enjoys life, she makes new friends and still remembers very well how she fell in love with ceramic art almost 70 years ago. #Zurich #Switzerland #TheAtlasOfBeauty #AroundTheWorld #Artist

A photo posted by The Atlas Of Beauty (@the.atlas.of.beauty) on Oct 6, 2016 at 8:49am PDT

Though the project has become wildly popular – with about 185 thousand followers on Instagram – Noroc insists she is still the same woman with “the same backpack three years ago.” While she has worked hard to widespread public appreciation, Noroc reminds everyone that there are millions of women around that world that also work hard, maybe even harder, and do not get the same recognition.

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She says of these women “I hope I will have the chance to photograph some of them for the project, capturing their inner and outer beauty and showing how special they are.”