How a Rebellious Vision Became a Movement:
The Story Behind SMV’s $20,000 Kickstarter Campaign
A Movement Was Born
On November 19, 2023, a 30 day Kickstarter campaign quietly crossed the $20,299 mark an extraordinary milestone for a small independent publication with a big rebellious vision. SundayMorningView (SMV), once the underdog of digital media, transformed overnight into a natural beauty movement that changed our perspective on what an online magazine for women could be. The video that powered the campaign was emotionally raw and unfiltered; it did what glossy ads could never achieve. It told the truth, and that truth resonated.
A New Kind of Magazine Emerges
When SMV launched in 2015, it started with one simple, revolutionary idea: inspiring women to celebrate their natural beauty. The mission was never to fix women the way mainstream culture pushed women to do; rather, their idea was to celebrate women as they are, naturally. The same attention fashion magazines placed on makeup and airbrushing was the same attention they placed on highlighting the naturalness of women’s beauty. So, instead of covering up their cellulite and stretch marks, they highlighted those features so we could marvel at them.
“Welcome to our Kickstarter campaign,” the founders wrote. Here, readers could help raise funds to build a magazine that helps women feel naturally beautiful. Their message was radical because it was real.
Why the World Needed SMV
Fashion magazines and media outlets relied on fabricated beauty, airbrushed skin, softened bodies, and curated illusions. SMV created a counterculture rooted in authentic beauty, a simpler way of looking at it. Instead of manipulating women into cartoon fantasies, it chose to celebrate every inch of God-given naturalness a woman has, stretch marks included.
SMV became a home for stories, education, health, sex, and relationships, but the one thing that caught people’s attention above all was the real women photographed with no makeup, no airbrushing, or body alterations. Every story became an act of rebellion against the propaganda that only women with makeup, filters, and cosmetic enhancements are beautiful. This idea reflected a powerful shift in how women see themselves, a novel concept that women around the world needed.
The Rise of the SundayGirl
Every Sunday morning, one woman was honored not for fitting beauty standards but for shattering them. No high-fashion dresses. No fancy, uncomfortable heels. No hair and eyelash extensions. No filters to cover skin texture. And most of all, little to no makeup at all. It was truly just her.
The Sunday Girl became a symbol of courage for embracing natural beauty, self-acceptance, and unfiltered femininity. These portraits were not just photographs; they were declarations of what real beauty is, and women listened.
A Global Community
With more than 140,000 followers and over 37,000 posts using the #SundayMorningView in 2019 SMV became far more than a magazine. It became a community a sanctuary and a home for women who needed to feel represented in a real and unfiltered way.
The Kickstarter Campaign That Shifted Everything
The mission was bold, and the goal was ambitious, and yet the community showed up. Every pledge did more than fund a magazine. It fueled a new chapter in the natural beauty movement and helped future generations see themselves differently. Funds helped SMV hire editors, writers, and grow a photography studio to expand the magazine’s infrastructure.
One of the most impactful Instagram campaigns was the ‘I Woke Up Like This’ series, where more than 300 women globally took the time to film themselves in the early morning with absolutely ZERO makeup, all in the name of celebrating the natural beauty movement.
SMV also produced empowering events with Ulta Beauty, Capital One Café, and Gillette Venus. Each one was designed to elevate natural beauty and help women grow.
The Ulta Beauty ‘no-makeup makeup’ event was a starting point in helping women acclimate to the idea of wearing little to no makeup. The team understood that many women weren’t ready to go completely without makeup, so the goal was to teach how to apply the least amount possible while still feeling confident. The event featured top beauty brands such as MAC Cosmetics and Dermalogica, which provided skincare and makeup products and guided attendees through expert tutorials on achieving a natural, no-makeup makeup look.
The exclusive women’s entrepreneur event with Capital One Café in Glendale, California, at The Americana at Brand brought together over 250 women. To attend, guests were required to come with little to no makeup. The event offered real support and resources to help aspiring businesswomen launch their ideas, grow their startups, and get their feet off the ground. Beyond natural beauty, the event helped shape the future minds of the world.
SMV hosted free photoshoots at Pepperdine University to help college women feel naturally beautiful. Women came together to be photographed, celebrate their real beauty, and embrace confidence in their own skin.
Our kickstarter backers did not just give money. They gave women hope.
A New Chapter, SMV Becomes OBARE
Fast forward to 2025, and the original vision evolved. SMV, the magazine that taught women to love their raw beauty, is now OBARE. A new era, but with the same unwavering mission.
The Magazine That’s Real
OBARE believes a woman without cosmetic enhancements, filters, and makeup can be equally as beautiful as a woman with them. They reject the manufactured ideals pushed by traditional magazines and media outlets built on cosmetic surgery, heavy makeup, and airbrushing. Simply put, OBARE rejects a world that edits reality.
Why We Rebranded
OBARE needed a name that truly represented what they stand for. Going bare means stripping away the fake and returning to what is real. The “O” represents a camera lens, our perspective on beauty. “Bare” is being authentic: who she is without the makeup, the filters, or the fake fluff.
Our Bare Models
Bare Models are the embodiment of OBARE. They are not conventional fashion models. They are everyday women turned into models without the glitz and glamour. Just real women, with natural lighting.
The journey continues, the movement grows, and their vision will continue to expand.
