Events: Arizona - Phoenix - Scottsdale

On December 11, during an exclusive unveiling event, entrepreneur, photographer and inspirational speaker Karianne Munstedt is set to debut the first installment of her latest labor of love, the Embrace Your Beauty: Fierce and Fabulous Over Forty project. During the exclusive invitation-only event, held at Karianne Munstedt Portrait Studio at 1614 West Roosevelt Street, the women who serve as the stars of these photographic masterpieces will be presented in a whole new light — one designed to celebrate and honor all they individually encompass as mothers, wives, friends, business owners, and more.

“I started this project, which was inspired by one of my mentors in the photography community, to help redefine society’s image of women over the age of 40,” says Munstedt. “What we are used to seeing in magazines, the movies and society in general is that mature women have less of a place in the spotlight and that we lose our worth as we age. But that’s just not the case. I wanted to turn the stigma upside down and change the narrative of what being a woman over the age of 40 means.”

In fact, the women represented in the exhibit — who hail from Arizona and across the country — are more successful, confident, beautiful and contribute more to the world in their 40s. Munstedt is dedicated to helping not only the world see that, but to help the women she photographs see themselves as a work of art. She aims to encourage them to embrace their fierceness and fabulousness every single day. Though they wear many hats, her subjects are women first and foremost — and Munstedt is intent on celebrating each one’s beautiful and unique attributes through her artistic craft, photography.

For this inaugural exhibit, Munstedt invited women over the age of 40 to participate in a special photography session during which they spent a day in her studio receiving full hair and makeup and working with a wardrobe stylist to create several looks. The focus of the experience was not only to give these hardworking women a day to themselves, but also to provide them with the opportunity to express themselves in ways they might not normally in their everyday lives. The photographs are a culmination of each woman’s life, business, and who they are inside and out.

In addition to the invitation-only unveiling event, which is exclusive to the subjects of their pieces as well as their guests and sponsors, Munstedt has created a custom magazine featuring a photograph and story about each woman represented in this year’s exhibit. She hopes this project will continue to inspire women to embrace who they are and to feel comfortable in their own skin — at every age.

Mary Beth Hartleb, founder and CEO of Prism HR Consulting in Nevada, is the event’s signature sponsor. She is not only a supporter of the project, but also a participant.

“I believe the 40 Over 40 Project is a necessary paradigm shift in our thinking about beauty and aging. Young women receive unhealthy messages about what is, and what is not, beautiful,” Hartleb says. “Often, these messages become life-long beliefs that translate to an unhealthy body image negatively affecting relationships, career aspirations, goal attainment, self -confidence, as well as physical, mental, and emotional health. My hope is that the inaugural Women Over 40 Project will help women discover and embrace their unique beauty at any age.”

Munstedt is currently accepting applicants for next year’s project. For more information, visit www.kariannemunstedt.com/womenover40project2022.