Women With Ostomy Bags Strip Down for Sexy Calendar Photo Shoot

A group of women have stripped down for a calendar that benefits the Purple Wings Charity, a U.K.-based organization committed to helping make life easier for individuals living with bowel diseases.

Proving that beauty has no boundaries, the ladies, who have all undergone ostomy surgery, strike a number of poses in sexy lingerie and proudly display their ileostomy bags. The surgery removes parts of the intestines, and in many cases patients are required to use an external pouching system to “allow for the elimination of waste,” according to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America.

Samantha Cawley, 28, who organized the event, was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease two years ago, according to the Mirror. After a number of tests and two surgeries, Cawley was rushed to the hospital in April 2014 and doctors were forced to remove even more of her intestines.

“There’s a lot of stigma surrounding having an ostomy and it is something that needs to be stamped out,” Cawley told the Mirror. “I know there are some women out there that don’t want to get naked in front of their partners because they are so self-conscious so, hopefully, this calendar will do something to help them rebuild their confidence.”

Purple Wings Charity founder Lauren Henderson, 27, appears as Miss November, and she shared her excitement about the shoot on the charity’s Facebook page.

“I feel so emotional thinking about the ladies of the pin up [calendar] shoot,” she wrote. “To see so many shapes, so many sizes, so many faces, so many journeys all coming together to create something so beautiful … I watched them transform before my eyes and so often I’d be asked ‘Lauren? Are you ok? You look so serious.’ But I was just taking it all in – these AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, BRAVE women who have fought so much who just needed a gentle nudge to [realize] how beautiful they really are.”

To purchase a calendar, visit Purple Wings Charity’s website.