Photographer's New Series Features Portraits of her Catcallers
The blog Women Against Feminism has been receiving a lot of backlash lately, but it's also a sign that gender equality has yet to be achieved.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tina Fey are some celebrities who have used their fame to speak up for gender equality. And this week, "Harry Potter" star Emma Watson spoke at the United Nations as part of the HeForShe campaign, saying, "If not me, who, if not now, when."
Joining the fight against the objectification of women who are simply walking down the street is 22-year-old-photographer Caroline Tompkins. Her photo series, titled "Hey Baby," documents the faces of the catcallers and hecklers who usually are able to shout harassment with anonymity and without repercussion.
After moving to Brooklyn, N.Y., three years ago, Tompkins noticed how difficult it was to walk to school or work without comments or demands from men on the street. She says she felt an underlying fear over leaving her home, but she decided to take a stand. In 2010 she began to snap images of the guilty parties.
The reactions Tompkins received from the men in the images as she snapped her camera was mixed. Some ran away embarrassed, while others were proud of their actions and their taking part in her project.
She told BuzzFeed her series "creates a forum to discuss a daily occurrence that most women feel they are powerless to." She added that, unfortunately, some women told her she should feel grateful for the attention. Tompkins's photo series doubles as a class portfolio, but she also hopes it will help put an end to unwanted behavior.
