women
— Women Are Beautiful series, Garry Winogrand, circa 1970
In this series, 'Women Are Beautiful' Winogrand brings together the pieces of a revolution. The photographs were taken during the rise of the second wave of feminism; It clearly reflected in the women throughout America. The freedom that came upon them could be seen in their attitude, their dressing, their postures and in all the little details the photographer was able to capture.
Garry Winogrand’s style is closely related to abstract expressionism, his unique angles and visual representation with sharp diagonals closely represent unbalanced yet intriguing images. In the book of photos, the photos are arranged in a way that it tells a story, it's more like watching a movie.
Looking at each of these images I sense strength and freedom in the eyes of these women. The photographs showed women from different races and backgrounds, he conveyed to the world that the beauty of women did not exist in anything else but themselves. Winogrand dedicated around a decade of his life into capturing this series, he roamed around the United States turning the city into his beautiful frames, he captured the attitude, strength, happiness and beauty in casual daily activities of women in the streets. Winogrand was called the master of moments, there was an unbalanced accuracy and aesthetics to his photographs, the beauty of his photographs were in capturing a moment so perfectly, he used a 35mm Leica camera for the photographs so as to take quick shots. during the decade he captured more than 300,000 photographs for the series where more than half of it remains unedited after his death, the dedication he gave in to it gave birth to one of the best series of photographs of all time.
Mind was a prison, ruby lined
in its lipstick noir—everything woman
I was expected to be, trapped between
papered walls. What they said to do, I did not
but only levitated at the burning,
the body a water in which I drowned, the life
a windshield dirty with love. What they
said to think, I thought not but instead made
my mind into a birdcage with wings
— Everyone In Me Is A Bird, Melissa Studdard
I have found the warm caves in the woods,
filled them with skillets, carvings, shelves,
closets, silks, innumerable goods;
fixed the suppers for the worms and the elves:
whining, rearranging the disaligned.
A woman like that is misunderstood.
I have been her kind.
— Her Kind, Anne Sexton
Women are fierce. They are powerful. No matter what language they speak, how they dress or the work they choose to do. What matters is they have a choice, and the freedom to carve out a life for themselves. As long as we know women, who are strong resilient,we must respect them, carry them forward, lift them up. for they are the product of all our selves, the women we were, the ones we strive to be, the collective struggle of our mothers, our sisters, our daughters .our salvation will only come if we stand together
— Women's Anthem, Lang Leav
The photograph is defined by the beauty of the frame, the light rays and the confident young women gaining the eyes of the viewers. But the way I see it is rather metaphorical, the women walking through the light rays; the light rays being the future of feminism.
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise. Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
’Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room. Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard 'cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard. You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs? Out of the huts of history’s shame, I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
— Still I Rise, Maya Angelou
"Too many guys think I'm a concept, or I complete them, or I'm gonna make them alive. But I'm just a fucked-up girl who's looking for my own peace of mind; don't assign me yours."
— Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (2004)
Sometimes I wonder,
what the women who died fighting for us,
thinks about the events down here; Are they angry we don’t do enough?
Or do they understand the struggle?
Do they pity us for not being able to fight stronger?
Or do they empathise with us? What do they feel about women who pull women down,
Women;
who are blind to their own scars,
Oblivious to their own sufferings? Will there be a day when the women in heaven
And the women on earth, can rest knowing that the battle has been won?
That there is no longer people who want us on our knees
And no longer do we need to lower our voice or our heads?
Will there ever be a day,
where we will not be forced to put a veil on our dreams and identities for the sake of others?
— Hiba Ashraf
Women are not meant to compromise, as I say this I'm angry and I want each of you to be! There are still people out there and its not just men I'm talking about, but all the women who are soo blinded by patriarchy they try to put it on you. Its the unprivileged girls out there I'm scared for, for me personally social media has had a huge impact on how I see feminism, there are girls out there who are so brainwashed they can't recognize their own worth; feminism has to reach every corner of the world, and I know, it wouldn't just change the life of women but the world.
— Naeema Kamal
LINKS:
1. Small Business: The Enthu Cutlets— A sister-duo who want to reach out to try and make this world fall in love with EXTRA! .They design invites, virtual games, logos, wedding stationery, CVs, and anything else. If it means adding an extra flavour to your event, we're in. ( Fair warning: We are not design experts, just enthusiasts who have a bunch of amazing ideas and are absolutely open to brainstorming to create magic. At The Enthu Cutlets, we operate on a pay-as-you-please model.)The idea is to find clients who share our level of enthusiasm, and are eager to go an extra mile to for that dash of zing!
2. Songs: Scars to your beautiful, Alessia Cara; Women, Kesha
3. Series and Movies: Unorthodox, The Great Indian Kitchen
As always, you can find more art & poetry on our website ~Â unographymag.com
