Photo taken by contributor Lakesh, a woman in her thirties who serves as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Her first experience with depression came through a relationship. It was filled with ups and downs, and both pockets of joy and memorable disappointments. The relationship has since ended but that experience has changed her perspective on mental illness. She will forever be grateful for the lessons they taught each other.

About this photo: “This shot was taking at the Birmingham Museum of Art, in Birmingham, Alabama. My intention was to capture the idea of adornment. Being raised in a patriarchal environment where wearing a dress is a stark symbol of feminity-this dress drew me in close. With every shot, I discovered the ways that dresses present a duality of truth. It all depends on who is wearing and who is looking. They can reveal the “perfect” form to scars of one’s soul. The power of dresses does not lie in their colors or patterns but in their power to mask and/or reveal a person’s truth. What does your dress reveal? Well, my favorite dress reveals that the path to healing is for the brave hearted, driving spirited, and outright badasses who know that being authentic is hard yet they do it anyway.”

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