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A yearly international photography collaboration that asks women, “what empowers you?”
Trigger warning:
some content discusses sexual assault, eating disorders, death of family members
“Lo que me empodera todos los días son mis hijas.”
“What empowers me everyday are my daughters.”
— Sarita, Chicago, USA, 2021, by Laura Monsreal Sabido
“When I was a girl, I dreamt of a happy family with a beloved husband and beautiful children. But life was hard and my marriage of more than twenty years came to an end. Taking care of two young daughters all by myself, I was physically and emotionally devastated. But it was all in the past. These days, my life is beautiful. As I am retired, I have time to do what I love: Traveling with my daughters, playing with our puppy and reading books. I am a family-oriented woman and always will be.”
— Lan Nguyen, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 2018, by Đặng Thảo Nguyên
“The women in my life empower me. Ever since I started my transition, I’ve struggled with my gender identity. The ladies that I am close with have helped me feel like the woman that I know I am, even when I am struggling with my own internalized transphobia.”
— Ashler Uebele, Shanghai, China, 2017, by Ng Meizhi
"I’ve struggled a lot with self-image, especially on the basis of my acne, and for a long time I was ashamed of it. However nowadays, I never wear make-up. I hate the restriction and limits of make-up, I feel most like myself when I’m bare-faced. It’s me, no more and no less. I want to normalize natural skin and show girls that we’re fine without make-up. Additionally, I see my natural face, complete with its blemishes, as a sign of power. I feel powerful in my self-acceptance. In a society where women are supposed to hate themselves, living a fulfilling life despite acne, is like a giant middle finger to society, and I’m proud of that."
— Sabina Olsson, Shanghai, China, 2018, by Ng Meizhi
“My style is an important vehicle for me to consciously represent my range of cultural influences and express myself in defiance of the opinions others put onto my body. My girly rituals are sacred to me. As a woman, the world doesn't allow space for me to be myself freely. I want to create that freedom in my own life and hold space for other women to do the same.”
— Kayla Gill, Mae Wang, Thailand, 2017, by Daughters Rising
“因為脊椎開刀用拐杖用了兩年. 兩年期間我很努力的用我自己的力量來走路. 現在終於可以不用靠拐杖走路.”
“After my spinal surgery, I relied on a cane to walk. It’s been two years now, during which I diligently practiced using my own strength to walk. This empowers me because I am now cane free!”
– 吳瑞春 Wu Rui Chun, Taipei, Taiwan, 2018, by Nicole Chan