about the goods
Description
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Dimensions: 8.5” x 10.5”
Soft fabric cover, thread-sewn and Swiss-bound, 112 pages
Extreme Pain, Extreme Joy
Against the backdrop of an America that increasingly casts women’s healthcare and bodily autonomy aside, Maggie Shannon’s Extreme Pain, Extreme Joy is both a celebration of birthing bodies and an intimate, candid depiction of what it means to care—Shannon demystifies childbirth, reminding us that it is at once epic, and utterly ordinary.
Shannon’s award-winning photo series began as a documentation of midwife-led home births after much of the US went into lockdown in early March 2020; now it is recontextualized in book form, complete with a foreword by Angela Garbes, an artist Q&A with critic Gem Fletcher and a slew of never-before-seen images that together create a timeless meditation on this fundamental human experience.
Capturing the entire process of birth—the exhaustion along the way, the agony of the moment of, the surreal relief of the after and the lulls in between—Shannon offers a rare view of mothers, becoming.
“I never got to see real pictures of women giving birth, it’s just not part of the public discourse,” she says, “We see this TV version where the woman is huffing and puffing and she’s wheeled into a room and then she comes back out a minute later with this 1-year-old baby. I think we’re discounting ourselves by portraying it in this way.”
The images also subtly reflect on the realities of childbearing and childrearing in America. In a country that has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among developed nations and where Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, in a country that has no guaranteed parental leave, a dearth of affordable childcare and little support for mothers from the very instant they become one, these photographs are intimate meditations on the tireless strength of women and the raw beauty of that suspended reality, before the work really begins.
About the artist:
Maggie Shannon is a photographer specializing in portrait and documentary work. She tells stories of small communities and their social rituals in order to elevate marginalized voices and build a more inclusive world. Her approach is rooted in honesty, empathy, and endless curiosity.
Hailing from Martha's Vineyard, Shannon received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in Photography, Video and Related Media. Shannon was selected as a 2018 PDN Emerging Photographer and was named one of Magnum's 30 under 30 (2015). She is a member of Women Photograph and her work has appeared in TheNew York Times, National Geographic, Die Zeit, Wall Street Journal, Time, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, People and The New Yorker. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband Roy and their daughter Charlotte.
let's chat
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We are here for any and all questions/concerns/assistance/support/decision making or just to chat :)
Call or text: 206-941-1489
Email us: info@shophoste.com
DM on Insta: @shophoste
We are also available in person at 2332 California Ave SW in West Seattle. Find hours HERE.
shipping and returns
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SHIPPING
Domestic Orders
Ship via USPS Priority or UPS ground and take approx 5-7 business days.
• Under a pound: $5
• 1-3 pounds: $10
• 3-5 pounds: $15
• 5+ pounds: $20
International Orders
We have set flat rate shipping based on country, and any shipment in excess of 10lbs will require an additional shipping quote to be discussed prior to fulfillment. All international orders are final sale.
• Canada: $30 flat rate
• Australia + New Zealand: $60
• All other countries: $50
For more information, visit our Shipping page HERE.
RETURNS
New clothing, accessories, and home goods are available for return or exchanges within 14 days. Vintage goods, food, skincare/body, items on sale or promotion are all final sale. For more information, visit our return page HERE.
Description
Dimensions: 8.5” x 10.5”
Soft fabric cover, thread-sewn and Swiss-bound, 112 pages
Extreme Pain, Extreme Joy
Against the backdrop of an America that increasingly casts women’s healthcare and bodily autonomy aside, Maggie Shannon’s Extreme Pain, Extreme Joy is both a celebration of birthing bodies and an intimate, candid depiction of what it means to care—Shannon demystifies childbirth, reminding us that it is at once epic, and utterly ordinary.
Shannon’s award-winning photo series began as a documentation of midwife-led home births after much of the US went into lockdown in early March 2020; now it is recontextualized in book form, complete with a foreword by Angela Garbes, an artist Q&A with critic Gem Fletcher and a slew of never-before-seen images that together create a timeless meditation on this fundamental human experience.
Capturing the entire process of birth—the exhaustion along the way, the agony of the moment of, the surreal relief of the after and the lulls in between—Shannon offers a rare view of mothers, becoming.
“I never got to see real pictures of women giving birth, it’s just not part of the public discourse,” she says, “We see this TV version where the woman is huffing and puffing and she’s wheeled into a room and then she comes back out a minute later with this 1-year-old baby. I think we’re discounting ourselves by portraying it in this way.”
The images also subtly reflect on the realities of childbearing and childrearing in America. In a country that has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among developed nations and where Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, in a country that has no guaranteed parental leave, a dearth of affordable childcare and little support for mothers from the very instant they become one, these photographs are intimate meditations on the tireless strength of women and the raw beauty of that suspended reality, before the work really begins.
About the artist:
Maggie Shannon is a photographer specializing in portrait and documentary work. She tells stories of small communities and their social rituals in order to elevate marginalized voices and build a more inclusive world. Her approach is rooted in honesty, empathy, and endless curiosity.
Hailing from Martha's Vineyard, Shannon received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in Photography, Video and Related Media. Shannon was selected as a 2018 PDN Emerging Photographer and was named one of Magnum's 30 under 30 (2015). She is a member of Women Photograph and her work has appeared in TheNew York Times, National Geographic, Die Zeit, Wall Street Journal, Time, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, People and The New Yorker. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband Roy and their daughter Charlotte.
let's chat
We are here for any and all questions/concerns/assistance/support/decision making or just to chat :)
Call or text: 206-941-1489
Email us: info@shophoste.com
DM on Insta: @shophoste
We are also available in person at 2332 California Ave SW in West Seattle. Find hours HERE.
shipping and returns
SHIPPING
Domestic Orders
Ship via USPS Priority or UPS ground and take approx 5-7 business days.
• Under a pound: $5
• 1-3 pounds: $10
• 3-5 pounds: $15
• 5+ pounds: $20
International Orders
We have set flat rate shipping based on country, and any shipment in excess of 10lbs will require an additional shipping quote to be discussed prior to fulfillment. All international orders are final sale.
• Canada: $30 flat rate
• Australia + New Zealand: $60
• All other countries: $50
For more information, visit our Shipping page HERE.
RETURNS
New clothing, accessories, and home goods are available for return or exchanges within 14 days. Vintage goods, food, skincare/body, items on sale or promotion are all final sale. For more information, visit our return page HERE.
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