Gaby Grant was just 14 years old when a boy she chatted with online shared her topless photo without consent. Now 29, she has turned that traumatic experience into a business that empowers women to reclaim their bodies.
A Teenage Nightmare
Growing up in North West London, Gaby described herself as a 'confident' and 'curious' teenager. She loved mini skirts and crop tops and was obsessed with boys. When she got a BlackBerry for her 13th birthday, she discovered a new way to connect with them. She met Ben* at a party and they added each other on BBM. The conversation felt mature, and she dreamed of their first kiss. But Ben started asking for naked pictures. After relentless pleading, Gaby sent a topless photo that included her face and bedroom background.
Two months later, while on a French exchange trip, she received a message: 'I've seen your t*ts, and so has everyone else.' The photo had spread across North West London. Ben had boasted at school, another boy took his phone, sent it to himself, and shared it in a group chat with 20 boys from five different schools. Gaby tried to stop the spread by creating a Facebook group, but it was too late. She was called derogatory names and blamed herself, thinking her love of provocative dressing was the cause.
Healing Through Art
When Gaby moved to Edinburgh to study art, the photo followed her. Londoners there had seen it, and even her cousin was sent it. But slowly, she began to heal. She retook a topless pic and printed her body on a t-shirt for the first time. 'I didn't see it as an empowerment thing at first,' she says. 'But then I slowly realised it was my own way of taking ownership over my image that had been leaked all those years before.'
People started sharing their own traumas and asking to put their chests on t-shirts. Since university, Gaby has done commissions here and there. Now, while working a full-time job in advertising, she is launching 'These Tits Are Mine' (TTAM) full-time.
How 'These Tits Are Mine' Works
Customers can purchase a custom piece online via a Google form linked in the brand's Instagram bio, or attend an event with the TTAM photo booth to have their image taken in real-time. Gaby takes image protection seriously: 'We have vigorous terms and conditions for both myself and the customer. All images are handled by as few people as possible. Every piece is handprinted by myself, and all images are wiped from all digital and non-digital sources as soon as a customer's order is produced.'
Gaby wants everyone to feel involved, especially within queer and sex-positive spaces. 'It's not a faceless pair of t*ts. Everyone who chooses to get their own, I commend them – I think everyone is so brave. The whole point of TTAM is to embrace your body, it's not about looking good, it's about feeling proud.'
*Name has been changed.
