Press Release

For Immediate Release: June 22, 2005
Media Contact: Terry Kelley 757-277-3338

Author is looking for "Full Blown" women
Women becoming "girls" again are subjects for new book

You all know her. The colleague at work who suddenly glows, who suddenly loses those few extra pounds, who causes the double take. You've all talked about her-- the PTA mom who shows up for the party with extra goodies -- like cleavage? Surely you've said it -- you've clarified it, justified it, called it by name. An affair. She must be having one. It's textbook.

Another man? Perhaps. Another woman? Perhaps. It doesn't matter. Both are mere pawns, according to collaborators author Cynthia Zordich and therapist Renee Halfhill, who are developing the concept called Full Blown. "The real affair is taking place within the woman, it's actually an affair with herself.. A "Full Blown" affair, adds Zordich.

"Becoming 'Full Blown' is journey where the child inside the woman emerges to remind, refuel and redirect," says Zordich. "The girl inside muscles her way back into the life of the women in order to awaken the spirit and soul. It is a final burst of indescribable energy."

Her purpose depends greatly on the life of the woman and the choices she has made thus far. For the woman who has deserted her adolescent dreams -- it is a reminder. For the woman who has been stifled all of her life by forces she could not realize or control -- it is a burst of confidence to make changes. "We want to find more women who have experienced this positive change so we can tell their stories in hopes that other will benefit," said Zordich.

Five years ago, Renee felt she was the classic definition of the perfect wife. Successful business woman, soccer mom, nurturing mate, demure and sub servant to the needs of her family, this outwardly "appropriate" woman felt she had fulfilled the role she accepted long ago as part of her heritage and basic role in life. And then she was spun.

"Coming up on forty, unsettling feelings began to come over me. I label them "unsettling" because these feelings, often accompanied by visuals were never appropriate. Not ever in my world. At first they made me uncomfortable and antsy. I tried to bottle them not letting others see what could be a crack in the exterior I always tried to maintain," said Halfhill. Renee tells the story, "In a reoccurring daydream, I'm in a crowded room with hundreds of women. I'm lifted above them and I'm looking for another head up in the crowd. Does anyone feel like me.anyone?" She says, that best describes the feeling of "Full Blown."

Zordich, a photographer, already knew she was "full blown" when her friend had asked her to show her sideline images at his gallery from a recent book she authored, When the Clock Runs Out, a look at NFL players in the autumn of their careers and the struggles they faced by realizing they were about to experience a transition from an entire life of gridiron hero to a life out of the glare of a spotlight.

Tom Mosser of the Mosser Gallery and Studio in Pittsburgh was quite familiar with her black and white player portraits - but life was pulling her work in another direction. "I had stirrings and I wanted to capture them on film. I contacted all of the girls I knew and told them what I wanted. That other side. The side that sneaks up in the middle of your life, in the middle of your meeting, on the sideline at your kids soccer game," Zordich said.

Full Blown may spin you 360 degrees or it may take you in another direction. It is a final, beautiful, and very intentional phenomenon. Yet be warned -- It creates change -- which ultimately creates friction. The girl takes over and the woman is left to do all of the explaining.

"Because of what I had discovered, my marriage fell into in jeopardy. I was fine with that. I pushed for a separation and he agreed. We never finalized the divorce. Something nagged at the back of my mind that it might not be the time to make anything final," Halfhill said.

Also nagging at both girls was seeing other women go though it and make horrible life choices in the midst of it. "You see them out there and you want to grab them and say, 'Hey, I know what you're going through! Ride it! Enjoy it! But, be smart about it. See it for what it is. It's about you! Don't mix it up with nonsense. Find it's purpose. Make good choices because it's going to end and then where will you be?'" says Zordich who is no stranger to capturing emotion through the camera lens.

Along with the co-development of the Full Blown website, www.fullblown.org, Zordich has experimented with translating her own "full blown" experiences into her artwork. Images currently portray high energy, heightened sexuality, freedom, confidence and defiance to name a few.

Visitors are encouraged to share their own stories and can even upload their own artwork to the on-line gallery. The women look at their site as a forum for Full Blown women to unwind, unload and celebrate their experience in a world where they are not judged but understood.

"We think there are a lot of woman out there looking to legitimize and document this process of rediscovery and we want to hear their stories. We're not doctors and we're not dispensing medical advice, we simply want to know who else is feeling like this so we can share experiences." Zordich said.