"Herself" finds insights in lives of women. Well, certain group of women.
When I heard that Australian actress Caitlin Stasey (best known in US for her role in CW’s Reign) was launching a media project, I was, to be honest, expecting something superficial. Because most celebrity projects tend to be rather superficial. But then, I went to actually check it out.
In Herself, Stasey interviewed several women (and herself) about things like gender and sexual identity, sexuality, depiction of women in the media, sexual harassment, consent in relations, the role body image played in their lives and their take on what it means to be a woman. Each interview is pared with nude photos of the interviewee. According to the closest thing the project has to an “About” section, the site is intended to show women as they are and showcase their experiences, all in hopes that it would inspire other women.
The interviews turned out to be interesting and, a lot of times, pretty thought-provoking. I would recommend you read them all in their entirely, but just to give you a taste, here are some excerpts.
Demi:
Do you feel your sexual education was sufficient?
Yes. I started learning about sex when I was 9 years old. In 5th grade one of our teachers created a box we could put our questions into. Questions like ‘what is a tampon’, ‘how do you use it’, ‘how do you use a condom’, it even got as vulgar as ‘can girls cum too’? I am still grateful for (to this day one of my favorite teachers) her willingness to share the truth with us. She never beat around the bush. She gave us the straight facts. My sexual education continued and ended by the 8th grade. It wasn’t talked about much after that. It is almost like they were trying to prepare us for the sex scandals about to be thrown in my face during high school. Would I have been less likely to engage in sex at a young age had the sex education continued throughout high school? Probably not. Do I think it would have prevented more teenage pregnancies? Yes, yes I do.
“S:”
Have you ever been embarrassed, burdened or ashamed of your sexuality? If so why?
Yes. I am open with my sexuality and consider myself a free person. The problem with that is the ‘slut-shaming’ and judgments that come from any decisions you make. I am constantly burdened with judgments from others about what I wear, what I do. Sometimes I feel like I am less of a person because of how others make me feel about my decisions. One brief example is when I was roofied at a party and ended up in a horrible public situation that I DON’T EVEN REMEMBER. It made me feel guilty, embarrassed and ashamed, even though I wasn’t even to blame. I feel like women are often made to be embarrassed by their sexuality, and put down for owning it.
[…]Do you feel that your desires are marginalized in the bedroom or are less important, if so why do you think that is?
Sometimes. I think it’s a mix of the way we are raised, lack of education and the fact that we do not stand up for ourselves and demand it in some circumstances.Are you fearful of being openly sexual for fear of judgement?
Yes. How many times do you want to be called a slut and be given the evil eye for your choices? People are very mean, and as much as I try to be strong and not give a damn, sometimes my feelings are hurt. I do not like being made to feel guilty for something natural that does not harm anyone.
Raechl:
Do you ever feel overlooked in the workplace because of your gender or appearance?
I used to. So thankful to say I don’t anymore. On our yearly evaluation, a coworker and I expressed our mutual concern over the idea that how much make-up we wore day-to-day constituted for grading under ‘hygiene’. Our boss at the time actually told my coworker that some days she came to work ‘barely putting forth any effort’ and others arrived looking like (verbatim, from what she told me) ‘a pretty, pretty princess’. If you don’t see a major flaw and disturbing quality to this, we have an issue. First things first: the latter is not to be taken as ‘a compliment’.Do you find entering the work-force as a woman has any bearing on how people will treat you?
I feel I must always be aware of my body language and how much of my personal opinions I let slip. I am in fear for my job security and career growth at an array of establishments due to my gender. It’s a difficult feeling to truly put into words and explain, but I fear that most women who are aware of the way the world works can relate.
Candice:
Can you remember any key moments in your formative years that shaped you?
Growing up in a single-parent household my mother was the enforcer. After having me I was with her for three years before she had my sister and then, seven years later, she had my brother. I’ve always known that no matter what happens in life I would and will be able to take care of my own if need be. My mother showed me that even without the help of our fathers we could still have a good life together.
[…]What are your feelings on motherhood?
I would love to be a mother one day but I’m still working on me, to become a better woman.
Casey:
Any [key moments] that shaped your perspective of women?
All of the women in my life growing up were strong women. There was never a moment where I saw a woman being subjugated, so I never questioned women’s role in society. I grew up knowing that I could be and do whatever I wanted.
[…]Where do you feel unsafe as a woman?
Frankly, I feel safe as a woman 99% of the time. Yes, there are places when I am uncomfortable walking on the street alone at night, but I feel afraid as a person, not a woman. It has nothing to do with what’s between my legs.Where is somewhere you can exist without fear?
I can exist almost everywhere without fear. I don’t experience a lot of the daily harassment women write about on the internet. I wonder sometimes if it’s because I’m immune to it, rather than that it doesn’t exist.
Alexis:
What do you think are positive ways the world views women?
As nurturers, strong, care givers, performers.What are negative?
As controllers, weak, manipulators and performers…. I think gender is very performative. Both males and females perform roles and I think ‘the world’ often judges both men and women on how well they perform these roles.
Caitlin Stasey:
How do you feel about the media’s portrayal of women?
It depicts us as sexless unless corrupt, hairless unless masculine & helpless unless evil. We’re not allowed to be gross or crass & intelligent, or beautiful & funny. We have to fit into neat little boxes.Are you satisfied with the women you see depicted in film, television & advertising?
Not at all. I’m not even entirely satisfied by some of the women I’ve played. The erasure of colour from entertainment is truly staggering & appalling. The erasure of women from within the LGTBQIA community is equally as awful.
If there’s one issue I had with the project, it’s that I wish there was a bit more diversity in its subjects. Which may seem like a weird thing to say about a project that includes women of a wide variety of races, body types and professional backgrounds. Each woman brings a unique experience to the table. But, at the same time, after a while, you realize that they share a lot of similar opinions. All of them are pro-choice. None of them are straight. A majority of them said that marriage was outdated and said they preferred having multiple partners/are engaged in some kind of polyamorous lifestyle. Which isn’t, in on itself, a problem, but it does mean that the project represents only certain types of female experiences rather then female experience overall. Which is a problem for a project called “Herself”
The website does invite other women to participate, so maybe the project will present a more diverse range of opinions in the future. But the fact that the project requires its subjects to pose nude kind of encourages self-selection. Not every woman is going to want to do that.
Speaking of nudity… I have two minds about this. Per Stasey, nudity is a bit part of what the project is about. She describes it as “a chance to witness the female form in all its honesty without the burden of the male gaze, without the burden of appealing to anyone,” adding that “these women are simply & courageously existing, immortalized within these photos.”
When you consider this project in context of last fall’s celebrity nudes hacking, Stasey’s decision to pose nude makes for a powerful statement. She is going to show her body on her terms, as part of something she believes in. (Though I do find it interesting that, on the main page, the picture linking to her interview is the only one that’s even remotely SFW)
As for the others…
Each interview has several photos. Some are sexy. Some have the subject posing like models that just happened not to wear any clothes. Some are casual. Some are framed artistically. And none of the photos have been photoshopped, leaving folds and tan lines untouched. Which is also a statement, of a somewhat different kind. This is what those women are. And they can be naked, if they want to, any way they want to. Which is a worthwhile message to send.
But at the same time, it occurs to me that the strongest part of the entire project are the interviews. And, if you take away the nude images, the interviews will lose nothing.
I find myself going back to the whole self-selection thing. And what it means for what this project is supposed to represent.
I’m not saying it would necessarily be better if it didn’t have any nude images. But it’s something that I find myself thinking about.
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