I’m PRO any guy who is willing to make a fool of himself. The fact, that a man is willing to do it for an OUTSTANDING cause, well, doesn’t that just make it even better?
Bob Carey is getting people’s attention. Why? Because he isn’t afraid to Do It Like A Woman, quite literally. Carey isn’t ashamed to put on a woman’s pink tutu & photograph himself for the millions to look at. In fact, he’s promoting it. Yep, that’s right, this isn’t a quiet, back of the closet, photos stuffed in a shoebox thing, it is a movement. A movement called The Tutu Project.
(c) Bob Carey, The Tutu Project
The Tutu Project began in 2003 as a joke. As Carey puts it, “I mean, really, think of it. Me photographing myself in a pink tutu, how crazy is that?”….Hmmm…now, do you really want me to answer that?
Pretty Crazy, but it’s working! Within the past week, Carey has gained the attention of the masses with a feature in Time magazine & a write up in The Huffington Post. The people love Carey!
One of our BOD’s is actually who brought Carey to my attention. She approached me last week ago saying, “Lauren, you have to check this guy out. He’s just crazy enough for you to find interesting.”–& that my readers, is a very lofty goal. But, she was right! Carey is just crazy enough.
I love him. I love this project. & I love the story behind it (which we’ll get into…) AND, we at Do It Like A Woman are happy to support & raise awareness for any & every organization, project, &/or idea that gets our attention. That is why, I’ve chosen to dedicate this entire blog post to The Tutu Project, Bob Carey & his wife, Linda Carey.
So, ladies & gentlemen, prepare to meet a godfather or ahem, fairy godfather, who won’t put a horse head in your sheets, but who will put a smile on your face–guaranteed.
(c) Bob Carey, The Tutu Project
I know what you are wondering…what makes a grown man decide to put on a pink tutu & photograph himself? And, what is this great cause that I keep going on & on about, but thus far haven’t dropped any information about: Breast Cancer, but more importantly, love. This man’s love for his wife & really, all women. This is a man who is truly all about Supporting His Ladies.
Carey first slinked into a pink tutu as part of a photography commission by the Arizona Ballet in 2003. A commercial & fine art photographer, Carey was amazed at how a simple addition of pink tulle could transform an image. So, six months later, after moving to NYC & after his wife, Linda, was diagnosed with breast cancer, Carey set out to transform something more than a background with his pink tutu. He set out to transform his wife’s mood.
Linda beat the cancer only for it to reoccur in 2006, & with the cancer’s reoccurrence came the tutu’s. Linda has been in chemotherapy ever since, but she’s quoted in The New York Daily News, saying that she feels good most of the time. And, while most women are afraid to share their husbands, Linda is not. She shares the tutu pictures with fellow patients to brighten their days, as well.
And while we are all in awe of Carey, he is in awe of his wife (& rightly so, he should be–we are!). Carey says, “During these past nine years, I’ve been in awe of her power, her beauty, and her spirit. Oddly enough, her cancer has taught us that life is good, dealing with it can be hard, and sometimes the very best thing–no, the only thing–we can do to face another day is to laugh at ourselves, and share a laugh with others.”
To date, Carey has taken more than 100 tutu pictures, which he shoots himself with the help of a tripod. The overwhelming positive reaction has even inspired Carey to take The Tutu Project further. He & Linda are self-publishing a book of his images entitled, “Ballerina”, with the proceeds going directly to breast cancer organizations. Linda & Bob’s goal: $75,000.
How can you help them out? Go to their website. Take some time to look & laugh at the photos of Carey everywhere from the Grand Canyon, to Times Square, to Italy wearing nothing but a pink tutu & his bicycle shorts underneath. We’ve shared some of his photographs on our blog today, but there’s a WHOLE lot more where those came from. Each photograph, if its possible, more aesthetically pleasing & funnier than the last.
(c) Bob Carey, The Tutu Project
If you’ve got the money, SPONSOR the man. Come on now, how many guys do you know who will don a pink tutu in support of your ladies? Even more so, how many men do you know who will do it in the snow?
(c) Bob Carey, The Tutu Project
But, If you can’t afford a sponsorship, buy a shirt. I’ll go out on a limb & bet you that every time you see that logo of Carey in a pink tutu, you’ll be reminded that laughter really is the best medicine & probably let out a laugh yourself–that’s certainly worth $30.
And, Bob Carey, continue to Do It Like A Woman…is that weird to say? Either way, we support you! (& you too, Linda!)
Sources: The Tutu Project website, The Huffington Post, Time Magazine , & NY Daily News.
xxL
