The Real Beauty series was inspired by a Dove billboard advertising campaign showing women in their underwear with the slogan of real beauty. Bieber’s images represent her rebellion against what the media depicts as beautiful. Each of her subjects is photographed at her home and their poses were self-directed. The most important issue that arose from these works is the variety of beliefs based on the way women look. She strives to show the fact that there is no real perfect body shape and that beauty depends on individual perception.

Bieber also talks about her photograph of Bibi Aisha, a young Afghan woman whose ears and nose were severed by her husband because she tried to escape from his abuse. Aisha’s story was part of a report into the conditions of Afghan women. Bieber's photo was featured on the cover of Time magazine and was selected as the World Press Photo of the Year, Portrait category in 2010.  Speaking about the photograph, Bieber said "I could have made a photograph with her looking or being portrayed more as the victim. And I thought 'no, this woman is beautiful.'"