In the Kind Rebel book, Jolie is inspired by Frida Kahlo. For example, Jolie finds out that Frida Kahlo was into wrestling. Something that used to be very special for girls. Frida Kahlo is quirky and shows with her personality that it is good to set your own course. That it's good to be different." And that it's okay to be who you are. Anne-Claire Fleer has several similarities with Frida: she is just like her artist and Anne-Claire can fully agree with the message of being who you want to be'. In fact, this message is its mission. A mission that she spreads in a playful and artistic way.r.
Let's start at the beginning. Anne-Claire empowers women through body painting. She makes a canvas and then she bodypaints women in the same colors and style as the canvas. The women blend in perfectly in this way and they themselves are part of the work of art. Anne-Claire then takes pictures of the women, which they also receive after their body painting session. How cool Women will look at their bodies in a different way because of the body painting session. They see their body more as a whole instead of a specific part, such as that one roll. They can, as it were, zoom out and see what else is out there. And that is often much needed. Because research shows that 97% of women have one negative thought about their body every day. And that's high, but according to Anne-Claire, it's not surprising when you consider how we - women - talk about our bodies. To ourselves, but also to each other. How often do we say what we think is ugly instead of what we think is beautifuln?
Anne-Claire helps women to embrace their bodies. With or without love handles. With or without pigmentation spots. With or without her. For example, Anne-Claire had a body painting session with a woman who has the disease Alopecia. This means you have no hair. Friends of hers did not know that she had this disease. During the session with Anne-Claire, she took off her wig, had herself body painted and took pictures with her bald head. The photos Anne-Claire took were the opening for her to start the conversation about her illness and to literally show herself.
The fact that Anne-Claire herself also follows her own path - regardless of what society expects - is apparent from her career path. She always saw herself in the financial corporate world. Briefcase with it. Completely off. And she got it. She worked for large organizations within the financial industry until she suffered a burnout in 2016. At that time she asks herself the question: what did I enjoy doing most as a child? She soon turned to drawing. She starts painting in 2016. Initially with making art. When that starts to work, she comes into contact with body painting. After her first session she knows: this is what I want to go 1000% for. This caused questioning reactions, because her art was just starting to take off. Your art is doing well, why don't you continue with it, they said to Anne-Claire. But everything in her gut said this was it. Body painting. To empower women. And if you know it, then you know it.het.