Melanie Sievernich is the creator of Queendom, The Return to Innocence, a photo series and work in progress on a mission to free beauty of manufactured ideals and give women their nature back.

Originally a dancer, Melanie ran her own ballet school for over 12 years, teaching the syllabus of the The Royal Academy of Dance, London. Inspired by that time, she likes to include elements of movement in her photography with the focus on capturing moments rather than shooting static poses.

Melanie is also a public speaker and a writer, published in The Light: A Book of Knowing, alongside contributors such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama and stem cell biologist Dr. Bruce Lipton, PhD.

Photography has opened Melanie’s eyes to the way how absolutely everyone is fighting an internal battle. Witnessing—photo shoot after shoot—how women are shaming themselves, and in particular their bodies, led to the creation of Queendom—The Return to Innocence.

Melanie says:
“Irrespective of one’s story, nobody seems to be free of body issues; whether one is a yogi, a supermodel or anything in between.

“I soon became tired of seeing all these beautiful women beating themselves up. So I decided to swap the studio for the beach, use natural light instead of strobes, and to get rid of all the masquerade.

“We always try to hide—behind the perfect makeup, the perfect hair, the perfect outfit, the perfect story. They support our identity and camouflage the parts we label as imperfect in ourselves. Imperfections that, in our eyes, make us unlovable.

“I want women to look at their photographs and see their natural beauty, instead of someone who is beautiful, because their self-labeled imperfections are hidden underneath fancy fabrics.

“The women in front of my camera come in all shapes and sizes: they are tall, short, skinny, curvy, toned, muscular, young, mature... But one thing, all have in common: all women are beautiful.

“There are as many different bodies, as there are women — let us embrace them all.

“This isn’t erotic photography. It is about creating a safe space for women, where they can step into their femininity and own themselves.

“Queendom—The Return to Innocence is about finding true beauty in ourselves. It is about loving ourselves. About returning home to THE SELF.”

Influenced by her experience behind the camera, Melanie’s current talks and courses centre around natural beauty, self-love and acceptance, and the importance of being compassionate and kind—to oneself and to each other.

Melanie lives on the Island of Møn, Denmark.