2010 Garden Gate. This was the year I began the Big O and the first picture I ever took of Shannon, at her home in Sheffield.
SHANNON TEN YEARS
 I met Shannon in 2010 in Sheffield and I have been photographing her ever since. Here you see a portrait from each year.
 Photography and text by Abbie Trayler-Smith
When I first met Shannon, all she wanted was for people to experience her life before judging her.

I have been walking in her shoes for 10 years now. It has been an extraordinary journey; I have watched her grow from an awkward teenager into a beautiful young woman. And I have learned the importance and necessity of truly committing to your subject: of being vulnerable, being curious, being available. I have learned as much about myself as I have about Shannon and for this I will be forever grateful.
  • 2011 Specialist Shopping. I think this period was the toughest for Shannon. Getting taunted and bullied by people at school. And here, having to shop in a specialist bridal shop months in advance to find a prom dress that would fit.
  • 2012 Salad Days. It can seem like a vicious circle dieting, staying on track for a few weeks then losing the way somehow. Here, at home in Sheffield, prom is looming so it’s all on for Shannon to look her best.
  • 2013 Sweet Sixteen. Prom goes off with a bang, but her weight is spiralling out of control and she undertakes gastric-balloon surgery as part of a medical trial on teenagers at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
  • 2014 New Dawn. The balloon stays in for just six months. And the two stone lost is quickly regained, and then some. But the mood in the room is different. Shannon gets a tattoo, ‘Kiss it!’ on her bum as a birthday present to herself and a message to the bullies that they can shove it.
  • 2015 First Job. She’s blossoming. Her first job as a part-time carer is going well and it makes her realise what she has to offer in life.
  • 2016 Kitchen Comforts. Care work becomes pub work, which then becomes call-centre work and her time is spent hanging out with family and out on the piss with friends.
  • 2017 In’t Room. The parting continues and evolution from teenager into young woman is in full swing. It seems like she doesn’t care about her weight any more, has decided to not let it be an issue for her. But conversations with her mum say otherwise.
  • 2018 #effyourbeautystandards. This shot was taken in the first flat she moves into after leaving home. She is falling in love again. With James, with herself. And with her new life as an adult out in the world.
  • 2019 Young Woman. Shannon is about to start her dream job as a support worker in the hospital. We spend a week together on holiday. It is a celebration, for her personally about where she’s at in life, and for us, it’s a moment to a celebrate this work, and this document of her life.
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Photography Abbie Trayler-Smith
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