The Future Is Female: Jada Poon

Renowned wedding photographer Jada Poon gave up a law degree to pursue her passion, and now she’s using her career to benefit the city. Poon founded ​Beloved to help women fall in love with their own self, finding the beauty in every flaw and every vulnerability. Through the photographs she takes and the stories she writes, Poon hopes to bring to light the fragile magnificence of humanity and cultivate a community that draws strength from love. 

What inspired you to start Beloved?

A few years ago, I was going through a difficult period in my life and by sharing my journey with people around me, I developed a heart for women I associated with. We all have very different journeys, but deep down inside, we face the world as women, and in the end we share very similar needs, desires and fears. I wanted women around me to see and know their own individual worth and contribution to the world as a unique being.

How do you feel it benefits the community?

I envision that Beloved can, through portraiture and storytelling, become a part of each woman’s journey to healing or self-understanding. Through our collaboration and projects with NGOs and other vendors, we hope to bring awareness to specific issues that affect how we see ourselves and our own worth.

This isn’t your full-time job, so how much time does it take out of your schedule to keep it running?

It is not easy to juggle between two projects, but that is part of what we do as women in this modern day society, it’s what makes us resilient; we juggle many different roles in life and we make it work. 

What has been the best part of starting this project?

Connecting with different people who uphold the same concerns as myself, as well as meeting the women I photograph.

Which stories inspire you the most?

I find it’s those day-to-day struggles and battles that I hear from the ‘ordinary’ women in my life that inspire me. The most inspiring stories come from those little choices that we make every day: to choose love over fear; to let go of our past and to embrace the fear of the unknown. It takes a lot of courage to stay soft, vulnerable and true to ourselves in a world that is so harsh and unpredictable. 

How do you feel about the concept of, ‘the future is female’?

It is impossible to empower ourselves by excluding the male population and approaching it with a ‘you’ and ‘me’ mindset in terms of the gender roles. It takes all of us to create a more loving and respectful future.

Who are the women that have inspired you throughout your life? 

My mentor and friend when I was involved in anti-human trafficking. She recently passed away, but she taught me that we always have a choice. Not in terms of what life throws at us, but in terms of who we choose to be. We must see our own power and know that.