The Girls: Emma — Tim Batist

**“I sometimes feel invisible, and I really love to be seen”**

Meet Emma.

Emma (23) is a convinced vegan and describes herself as sporty, open minded, curious and enthusiast. But she’s not always confident about herself, Emma says. “It is hard for me to be really happy, because I expect a lot from myself and other people.”

For this photoshoot, you posed fully nude. How did you feel about this?

“I love nudity. The more naked, the more beautiful I feel. I love the female body in general and my body is also something I’m proud of. I think nudity shouldn’t be such a big deal. Posing naked wasn’t completely new to me and again, I enjoyed it a lot. It feels blissful to be completely yourself and the freedom is really satisfying. I feel really good about myself when I’m naked. It gives me self confidence and makes me feel at one with nature. Really lovely!”

You are a convinced and active vegan. Why did you decide to stop eating animal products?

“I became a vegetarian because I love animals and I didn’t want them to have to die for me. Eating meat made me feel very selfish and hypocrite. In my opinion, you can impossibly love animals and at the same time pay people to abuse and kill them, so you could eat their meat. At that time, I didn’t know anything about dairy and eggs yet. After having done some research, I went vegan immediately.”

“Posing nude makes me feel at one with nature”

“What happens to millions of animals, every single day, is unacceptable to me. There are so many lies and ignorance about the theme, so now I’m trying to convince people to become vegan too. Or at least show them the truth about the meat and dairy industry. Animals also have the right to live a happy life. In my perfect world, every human being is vegan.” (smiles)

You’re also a pole dancer. Tell me everything about it.

“A couple of years ago, I quit horseback riding and ran into a video of Anastasia Skukhtorova, a Russian pole dancer. I was amazed by her talent and really thought her performance was breathtaking. I was astonished to see what you can do with your body: that high on a pole, that intensive but also very elegant. I immediately thought: this is something I want to try!”

“I found a pole dance studio and I mastered the basics pretty fast. Pole dancing became my passion, I want to get better at it every day. And every day really is a challenge: so many exercises, tricks and choreographies you can try. Pole dancing is a very intensive sport: you need power, stamina, balance, flexibility and courage, all at the same time. That’s what makes it challenging to me.”

You seem like a confident woman, but you also have some doubts about yourself, you told me.

“It is hard for me to be really happy. I expect a lot from myself and other people, so I’m easily disappointed. I can also be very insecure about my own abilities - especially about school and career. I sometimes feel unimportant, socially, when I am in a group of people. It makes me feel invisible, and I really love to be seen.”

What do you like the most about yourself?

“I am sporty, open minded, curious, enthusiast and I care a lot about other people. I don’t give up fast and I’m a hard worker. I’m also proud to be vegan. As to my appearance, I’m very proud of my hair and especially the unique colour of it. It is what makes me stand out. But I’m also proud of my body and the photoshoots I’ve done so far. The only thing I don’t like about my looks, are the pimples I sometimes have on my face. It makes me feel really insecure.”

“In my perfect world, every human being is vegan”

I you would ever get a tattoo, what would it be?

“At this moment, I don’t have tattoos. Honestly, I don’t like them and they don’t fit with my pale skin. But if I would get a tattoo, it would have something tot do with veganism. Probably on my ankle or in my neck.”

What was the most beautiful moment in your life so far?

“Diving for the first time in the wide open ocean. I did it when I was traveling in Indonesia.”

What is the biggest dream you wish to realise?

“To dive in the Great Barrier Reef. I’ve been traveling in Australia for a couple of months, but I had to come back early because of the coronavirus. So I hope I can soon continue my journey in Australia.”

What else is on your bucket list?

“I really hope to meet Anastasia Skukhtorova one day. She’s the reason why I started pole dancing. But I also would love to attend a concert of The Weeknd, to see this great artist in real life. Other things on my bucket list: skydiving, swimming with sharks, a horse safari in Africa, a road trip in Canada, sleeping under the open sky somewhere in the desert, to see the northern light and to travel a lot. I want to travel all my life and see as much as possible of this wonderful planet before I die.”

“I should tell my friends and family more often that I love them”

What makes you happy?

“The sun, nice music, good food, pole dancing, photoshoots, friends.”

What makes you sad?

“Animal suffering and how we deal with the planet.”

What do you regret the most?

“That I didn’t go vegan sooner. But also: cutting my hair shorter, telling little white lies and not telling my friends and family often enough how much I love them.”

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

“Happy, having traveled a lot, living abroad with the love of my live, in nature with a lot of animals around us.”

What song makes you instantly happy?

“Not necessarily one song, but African and latin vibes always make me happy.”

What movie would you watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon?

“Call me by your name kind of movies.”

What’s your favorite dish?

“Vegan pasta, like lasagna. Simple, but delicous. But I also love white wine risotto with oyster mushrooms.”