In the series The Bathers, Jennette Williams examined female beauty without resorting to what she described as "sentiment or objectification." In 2000 she began traveling to Hungary and Turkey to photograph women in bathhouses. Her photographs illustrate her subjects’ ability to be at ease with themselves, as Williams said, "living in rather than fighting against" their bodies. In addition to photographing in the extreme heat and humidity of the bathhouses, Williams had to overcome a language barrier. She gained her subjects’ trust through repeated visits, matching their vulnerability by disrobing, and communicating her intentions through hand gestures and sample prints of her work.