“Defining Beauty,” a recent art exhibit created by Natalie Pickett, art senior from Minden, featured photographs of females posing in their underwear. The exhibit, which was located in the Ameen Art Gallery in Talbot Hall last week, was created to celebrate the diversity of women.

“There is a big emphasis on women being thin in American culture, and I wanted to show that you don’t have to be thin to be beautiful,” Pickett said.

The models, while ranging in different sizes, were all displayed in black and white photos wearing similar underwear.

In her artist mission statement, Pickett revealed her reasons for the contrasts and similarities of her work.

“I chose to explore and show the many different types of beautiful women by photographing women from different ethnic groups with many different body sizes,” Pickett wrote. “Each figure is dressed in similar clothing so that the viewer focuses upon the personality of the person.”

Pickett’s exhibit was received with support from the University’s art faculty.

“When I proposed the idea to the faculty, they said go ahead and do it,” Pickett said. “The faculty also encouraged me to expand the project and continue with it.”

Pickett said she was given the freedom to select her own lineup of models as well.

“The model choices were up to me. Most of them were students that I knew, and a handful weren’t students.”

While the faculty immediately supported the exhibit, a parent of one of the models was apprehensive when she first heard her daughter would be posing in her underwear.

Amanda Champagne, art senior from Chauvin, said when she first told her mother about the pictures, she was opposed to the idea. Once they discussed the fact that it was for the sake of art, she was able to accept the legitimacy of the project. Champagne was also apprehensive about the pictures.

“I think everybody had some uneasiness, but it was a step to feeling more comfortable with myself,” Champagne said.

Despite earlier tensions and after the project was completed, Champagne was pleased with the results.

“I’m really proud of Natalie,” Champagne said. “She did a good job of capturing everybody’s personalities.”

Others in the art department were also pleased with the results.

“I think it’s nice that she’s not focusing on one body type, but also abstracting it by putting it in black and white to leave it open to interpretation,” April Leonard, art senior from Morgan City, said.

“Defining Beauty” was highly regarded by a number of people on campus, not only those in the art department.

“One person said it was one of the best shows they’ve seen,” Leonard said. “Everyone said it was positively received.”

Happiness is what Pickett said she hoped her exhibit would convey.

“Happiness is what I believe beauty is all about,” Pickett said. “Beauty is being happy with whoever you are, even though your beauty might not fit the American norm.