This 21-Year-Old Transforms Her Stretch Marks Into Actual Works of Art

Cinta Tort Cartró is using paint to combat many of the stigmas women face.

July 21, 2017

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Cinta Tort Cartró wants you to accept your stretch marks, period stains, and all the other body things society asks women to hide.

The 21-year-old artist, who resides in Spain and works under the name Zinteta, has taken it upon herself to simultaneously protest sexism and educate her community (including her 13,000 Instagram followers) about feminism through her work. Some of her most recent, empowering projects include filling in women's stretch marks with rainbow colors, painting vibrant explosions on women's underwear to normalize menstruation, and photographing women with flowers covering their breasts in #freethenipple-inspired series.

Cartró—who plans to pursue a master's degree in illustration—said her passion for art has been influenced by her own experiences with society and its limited view of beauty. "It all started as a form of expression," Cartró told Yahoo! Beauty about her work. "I grew up feeling sometimes out of place. I'm tall and big, so it's important for me to state in my art that everyone is beautiful, and those [so-called] 'flaws' are not [flaws at all]."

Catró extended this idea of combatting shame even further—into her period-centric series, which she calls #manchoynomedoyasco or "I stain myself, and I'm not grossed out by it." "We live in 2017. Why is there still stigma revolving around periods?" Cartró said.

And the same conceptual thread runs through her other work, as well. Cartró has used her paintbrush to tackle themes of racism and xenophobia, especially tied to the anti-immigration sentiments in parts of Europe. "I don't like the way foreigners are treated sometimes here," she said. "I'm all about embracing those that need help so everyone can live a great life."

See some of Cartró's work below.