The Turtleneck Project

The Turtleneck Project The Turtleneck Project is a photo-documentary exploration of what beauty means in today's society. The concept: portraits of people from all walks of life.

Unretouched portraits of participants are published alongside personal definitions of beauty.⁠
⁠
Photography by Tam Lan Truong
Produced by Jobair Jaber The goal of this project is to showcase an authentic and rich tapestry of beauty. To seek a definition of beauty that promotes ACCEPTANCE and INCLUSION. All portraits are shot in black-and-white, with the same lighting. No photoshopping is involved

in the creation of these images. Everyone wears a unifying piece of garment: a black turtleneck sweater. Every participant answers the same three questions: 

1. What makes a human being beautiful?
2. Tell me a story about someone who is beautiful to you.
3. What do you like about yourself? We invite you to follow us on this journey to a modern definition of beauty.

MARJOLAINE ⁠// What does beauty mean to you?⁠⁠A human can be truly beautiful when they can be themselves unapologeticall...
02/22/2022

MARJOLAINE
⁠
// What does beauty mean to you?⁠
⁠
A human can be truly beautiful when they can be themselves unapologetically and feel comfortable behaving freely around others. Something in someone’s wild laugh, perplexed facial expressions, and goofy behaviour makes my heart beat faster. When interacting with people and realizing all the unique traits that they own, physical or social, I can’t help but notice how beautiful people can be. ⁠
⁠
// Tell me a story about someone beautiful to you.⁠
⁠
My twin sister is one of the most beautiful people I know. And no, we’re not identical if you thought that was the catch. She’s caring, independent, strong, vulnerable, social, and intelligent all simultaneously. She takes care of herself, physically and mentally. She has always been candid with me, even when it hurts to hear. She’s one of those people who loves having a bouquet in her room at all times because she loves surrounding herself with beautiful things - I think people who choose to love themselves that way are bewildering. I find beauty in how she always prefers to wear tiny hoop earrings and finger-curls little hair strands around her face. I find beauty in the fact that she can tackle you to the ground just as well as crawl into your bed to hold you when you’re feeling sad. And I find so much beauty in her smile and her laugh - it’s loud and bold and sounds like ringing bells on a sunny day.⁠
⁠
// What do you like about yourself?⁠
⁠
I like my persistence. In some of the worst circumstances, I can find a way to pick myself up, laugh at the situation and keep going. And when the circumstances are too difficult, I know when it’s time to get some help. I’m stubborn but realistic! ⁠
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About ⁠
The Turtleneck Project is a photo-documentary exploration of what beauty means in today's society. Unretouched portraits of participants are published alongside personal definitions of beauty.⁠
⁠
Photography by Tam Lan Truong
Produced by Jobair Jaber
⁠

He sat down. "Jean-Jacques, could we just... connect with your face?"And we were done.Such is his aura.JEAN-JACQUES// Wh...
02/20/2022

He sat down. "Jean-Jacques, could we just... connect with your face?"

And we were done.

Such is his aura.

JEAN-JACQUES

// What does beauty mean to you?

Humans are beautiful when they are spontaneous.

// Tell me a story about someone beautiful to you.

I love her in action, in all her elegance. This was the case for Shirley, who seduced me by the grace of her movements and, of course, by her generosity of heart.

// What do you like about yourself?

My ability to express myself spontaneously. I like to read the energy and ride the wave.

-------------------------⁠
About ⁠
is a photo-documentary exploration of what beauty means in today's society. Unretouched portraits of participants are published alongside personal definitions of beauty.⁠
⁠
Photography by Lan Truong
Produced by Jaber
⁠

After a certain age, it's hard to be "cool" to all generations.No problem for Shirley. She and Jean-Jacques are what I a...
02/17/2022

After a certain age, it's hard to be "cool" to all generations.

No problem for Shirley. She and Jean-Jacques are what I aspire to be down the line: confidently laughing away life's curveballs and giving everyone the feeling that they are okay just the way they are.

SHIRLEY

// What does beauty mean to you?

A human is beautiful when they can forgive my foibles, laugh, notice my needs, be transparent with theirs, and love unconditionally.

// Tell me a story about someone beautiful to you.

The most beautiful person to me is my husband, Jean Jacques.

We have known each other for 39 years and married for 30. He helped me raise three children: two daughters who later died of rare cancers and a son. He nursed me through four cancer surgeries, one double mastectomy, a year of chemotherapy and five weeks of radiation every day!
This is an example of unconditional love.

// What do you like about yourself?

My empathy, my kindness and my openness and my openness to others no matter who they are.

-------------------------⁠
About ⁠
Turtleneck Project is a photo-documentary exploration of what beauty means in today's society. Unretouched portraits of participants are published alongside personal definitions of beauty.⁠
⁠
Photography by Tam Lan Truong
Produced by Jobair Jaber
⁠

If there were such a thing as a confidence scale, it would go from "Non-confident" to "Sergei".⁠⁠Sergei is a sailor who ...
02/08/2022

If there were such a thing as a confidence scale, it would go from "Non-confident" to "Sergei".⁠
⁠
Sergei is a sailor who vlogs about his journeys with incredible footage. He's also so genuine that people can't help but shake their heads and chuckle "Sergei..." when they talk about him.⁠

Thank you for sitting in buddy!⁠⁠
⁠
SERGEI⁠
⁠
// What does beauty mean to you?⁠
⁠
Beauty is a tangible manifestation of (the inherently subjective) perfection. ⁠
⁠
// Tell me a story about someone beautiful to you.⁠
⁠I’ve recently seen a girl in an ad on Reddit. Instantly become infatuated with her. Email the ad owners reverse search the ad picture in hopes of finding her Instagram or, at least, a name. All my efforts turn out to be futile, but at least I know that even an unexpected picture can make me speechless.⁠
⁠
// What do you like about yourself?⁠
⁠
The quality that I enjoy about myself, which is also totally trainable, is the inquisitive nature of the mind. The mind is inherently curious; all we have to do is maintain momentum. And then, even the most mundane is suddenly fascinating.⁠
⁠
-------------------------⁠
About ⁠
The Turtleneck Project is a photo-documentary exploration of what beauty means in today's society. Unretouched portraits of participants are published alongside personal definitions of beauty.⁠
⁠
Photography by Tam Lan Truong
Produced by Jobair Jaber
⁠

What would Opera in Montreal be without her?Chantal, thank you, and please, keep finding reasons to smile.CHANTAL// What...
02/04/2022

What would Opera in Montreal be without her?

Chantal, thank you, and please, keep finding reasons to smile.

CHANTAL

// What does beauty mean to you?

It has nothing to do with fashion criteria or clichés. Beauty resides in nature, spontaneity and self-confidence. That’s why children, animals, flowers, trees, lakes etc., are among the most beautiful things to me. A person who ages in harmony with whom they truly are usually is beautiful. A person who knows and accepts herself is beautiful to me. A person who develops her own sense of style is beautiful. A person who finds peace and fulfillment is naturally beautiful. A person who takes care of her body is beautiful. Wrinkles are beautiful. A smile is always beautiful!

// Tell me a story about someone beautiful to you.

I was often complimented on my smile and even won an award in high school for the "Most Beautiful Smile"! I was a teenager and teaching music to children in a choir. Once a little girl saw me thinking about something with a very serious expression on my face, and she told me: “Chantal, please smile. You don’t look good when you don’t”. I realized then that my smile made people feel good and was a big part of my inner beauty and charm. As I grow older, I realize that my smile keeps me forever young, and I don’t mind the passage of years anymore, as long as I find reasons to smile in my everyday life. Smiling creates beauty in every instant. It is free and always available.

// What do you like about yourself?

My capacity for wonder.
-------------------------⁠
About ⁠
Turtleneck Project is a photo-documentary exploration of what beauty means in today's society. Unretouched portraits of participants are published alongside personal definitions of beauty.⁠
⁠
Photography by Tam Lan Truong
Produced by Jobair Jaber

ROSE-MARIE // What does beauty mean to you?Human beauty means sincere happiness. // Tell me a story about someone beauti...
02/04/2022

ROSE-MARIE

// What does beauty mean to you?

Human beauty means sincere happiness.

// Tell me a story about someone beautiful to you.

The 60’s s*x symbol French icon: Brigitte Bardot made me reconnect to my own feminity as a young woman. She and Marilyn incarnate such powerful woman energy; it helped me understand my own power as a woman.

// What do you like about yourself?

I like the fact that I exist.
And that itself amazes me every day and inspires me.
-------------------------⁠
About ⁠
The Turtleneck Project is a photo-documentary exploration of what beauty means in today's society. Unretouched portraits of participants are published alongside personal definitions of beauty.⁠
⁠
Photography by Tam Lan Truong
Produced by Jobair Jaber

This guy walked into the studio and lit Jobair and me up. He has such energy. Check out his art at on Instagram! Franco...
02/04/2022

This guy walked into the studio and lit Jobair and me up.
He has such energy. Check out his art at on Instagram! Franco, thanks for the ten minutes; it's been a blast!

FRANCO

// How can a human be beautiful?

By being their truest, most authentic and liberated versions of themselves. It's a rarity that will only gain in value in the future.

// Tell me a story about someone beautiful to you.

The children in my family are the most beautiful precious beings to me. They ask essential questions that most adults can't fathom asking ourselves.
One day my little cousin asked me, "How do you love?" and I blabbered the cliché " you never let that someone or something get away from your heart" to which she replied, "Where is that?".
At the time, I wasn't sure where and I kept asking myself the question for weeks. I love it when children make me feel as clueless as them.

// What do you like about yourself?

My empathy is my strength. It allows me to understand this world, build mine, and adventure out deep into the beautiful free country of our human mind.
-------------------------⁠
About ⁠
Turtleneck Project is a photo-documentary exploration of what beauty means in today's society. Unretouched portraits of participants are published alongside personal definitions of beauty.⁠
⁠
Photography by Tam Lan Truong
Produced by Jobair Jaber

Beauty can mean so many things to different people, and I'm starting to think that shooting needs more than 100 faces....
02/04/2022

Beauty can mean so many things to different people, and I'm starting to think that shooting needs more than 100 faces.

PRIYA

// What does beauty mean to you?

For me, human beauty is the soul made visible. A life lived embodying the soul exudes a glow beyond the physical but radiates through the form.

// Tell me a story about someone beautiful to you.

The most beautiful person I know is beauty incarnate. He lives his life as an offering to All. He has transcended personal gain; thus, his actions hold the fragrance of purity; his very breath is Love itself. For me, this is the essence of beauty. It is the being realized as a vehicle for the divine.

// What do you like about yourself?

My willingness to constantly learn and grow. My appreciation for the finest both in the internal and external world.
-------------------------⁠
About ⁠
Turtleneck Project is a photo-documentary exploration of what beauty means in today's society. Unretouched portraits of participants are published alongside personal definitions of beauty.⁠
⁠
Photography by Tam Lan Truong
Produced by Jobair Jaber

JULIETTE⁠ ⁠// How can a human being be beautiful?⁠⁠Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The people I perceive as beauti...
02/04/2022

JULIETTE⁠
⁠
// How can a human being be beautiful?⁠
⁠
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The people I perceive as beautiful are generous, bold, raw and make me feel like I'm part of a whole. Beauty can be intimidating but never violent; it must be shared and available. ⁠
⁠
// Tell me a story about someone beautiful to you.⁠
⁠
I see beauty in my sister when we have a conversation. She looks at me right in the eyes, unapologetic for the way she carries herself in the world. ⁠
⁠
// What do you like about yourself?⁠
⁠
I try to be selective with the type of words I use when I talk about my body, to my body. I cultivate gentle behaviour when it comes to myself. ⁠
⁠
-------------------------⁠
About ⁠
The Turtleneck Project is a photo-documentary exploration of what beauty means in today's society. Unretouched portraits of participants are published alongside personal definitions of beauty.⁠
⁠
Photography by Tam Lan Truong
Produced by Jobair Jaber

In the high-octane backstage environment of the Concours musical international de Montréal, our host Mario was always a ...
02/04/2022

In the high-octane backstage environment of the Concours musical international de Montréal, our host Mario was always a welcome sight.
When you'd run into him, frantically getting from one place to the next, he'd smile and say "Hi!". And you'd feel good and couldn't help but smile. That energy, that's his magic.

Thank you, Mario.

MARIO

// What does beauty mean to you?

Since I was a child, I have always kept the phrase from Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince: « Here is my secret. It is very simple: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.»
A beautiful person "sees" the other with the eyes of the heart. A beautiful person is like a mirror that can, through its heart's purity, reflect the image of its own beauty to the other person in all its uniqueness. But it's a secret that everyone has to discover.

// Tell me a story about someone beautiful to you.

Spontaneously, I wanted to talk about my mother. Mom is beautiful of all beauties! She came from a large family of 14 children and did not know her father. My grandmother was 50 years old when she became a widow with 14 children to take care of. They were an impoverished and close-knit family. Mom was always grateful for everything. I find her beautiful in her simplicity, beautiful in her kindness, beautiful in this capacity for wonder still intact at almost 90 years of age. Beautiful with her welcoming and compassionate heart, beautiful in her heart, praying for all and the world, beautiful in her confidence in us and life. Beautiful in her faith, beautiful in her detachment. She often tells me that she is ready for the "great encounter with her Lord." I find it hard to imagine that the term is approaching and that she will leave us. However, I know that death will have little to take away from her, for she will have already given everything.

// What do you like about yourself?

It's a lifelong learning process to try to get the right view of yourself. I would say my ears! The joy of listening to music and being able to share it in my professional life. But also to be able to truly listen to others, in an open heart, without judgment. This is what I try to live day after day!
---------------------------
About ⁠
Turtleneck Project is a photo-documentary exploration of what beauty means in today's society. Unretouched portraits of participants are published alongside personal definitions of beauty.⁠
⁠
Photography by Tam Lan Truong
Produced by Jobair Jaber

Michel-Alexandre Broekaert never shies away from telling outrageous jokes or stories. Underneath all that, one of the mo...
02/04/2022

Michel-Alexandre Broekaert never shies away from telling outrageous jokes or stories.
Underneath all that, one of the most genuine people I know and a wicked pianist.

MICHA

// How can a human be beautiful?

True beauty ignores itself; I find it unaltered in children. Children cry, laugh out loud, don't care about the judgment of others, are fascinated by nature, by the details of everyday life. Their honesty and vulnerability remind us of the inner child we all carry within us, sometimes under layers of insecurity and traumatic experiences. Beauty transpires from every human being who cultivates this quest for the inner child, which is the quest for genuine enchantment.

// Tell me a story about someone beautiful to you.

My father has always impressed me a lot. He was born before World War II, yet he always managed to stay up to date. Whenever people or life have hurt him, he has always risen stronger and wiser, never seeking revenge or retribution. His generosity with everyone is unparalleled, and his general knowledge is admirable. Even in his eighties, he continues to study and learn about a ton of subjects. Tireless, passionate about everything around him, he is a true force of nature and a role model for me.

// What do you like about yourself?

To love something about oneself implies a certain detachment, a perspective that can only come from the outside; we appreciate something about ourselves only because individuals dear to our values or beliefs have whispered it in our ear. I am often appreciated for my ability to live in the moment. I can withstand the torrent of life in the 21st century and savour each moment as if it were my last. This goes for a conversation with a friend, a musical rehearsal, a concert, a meal, or the breeze on my face. Every moment of life on earth is the first, maybe the last. Embrace the impermanence.
---------------------------
About ⁠
Turtleneck Project is a photo-documentary exploration of what beauty means in today's society. Unretouched portraits of participants are published alongside personal definitions of beauty.⁠
⁠
Photography by Tam Lan Truong
Produced by Jobair Jaber

My little brother hated piano lessons until he met Kimihiro Yasaka. I think this says a lot about this man.⁠⁠KIMIHIRO⁠⁠/...
02/04/2022

My little brother hated piano lessons until he met Kimihiro Yasaka. I think this says a lot about this man.⁠
⁠
KIMIHIRO⁠
⁠
// What does beauty mean to you?⁠ ⁠

Human beauty can be found when people share happiness. ⁠ ⁠
⁠
// Tell me a story about someone beautiful to you.⁠ ⁠ ⁠

I find my mother beautiful as she has been supporting countless people with her carefree smile. I have been learning a lot from her acts, and this won’t change. She is my role model. ⁠ ⁠
⁠
// What do you like about yourself?⁠ ⁠ ⁠

I like that I have treasured the opportunities/experiences given in my life.⁠
⁠
-------------------------⁠
About ⁠
Turtleneck Project is a photo-documentary exploration of what beauty means in today's society. Unretouched portraits of participants are published alongside personal definitions of beauty.⁠
⁠
Photography by Tam Lan Truong
Produced by Jobair Jaber
⁠

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