Women Body Positive Art to Inspire and Empower

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Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Carol Rossetti

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Brian Peterson

Print ISBN: 978-1-63450-250-4

Printed in China
To my beloved.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
BODY
FASHION
IDENTITY
CHOICES
LOVE
BRAVE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 Introduction

The Women Project is one of the most amazing things that has ever
happened to me. When I started a new illustration project (mostly as an
excuse to make a drawing every day), I had no idea what was coming.
Hundreds of people identified with the women I created, and my Facebook
page became a place where women from all over the world could share
stories and ideas.
People have asked me plenty of times if I’m a feminist. Yes, I am. But that
seems pretty vague nowadays, doesn’t it? There are just so many ways to be a
feminist and so many ways to fight oppression that the word has become,
perhaps, too wide. So yes, I do identify as a feminist, but I think it’s
important to explain how I understand the movement, as well as my
approach to fighting this fight.
I identify with the ideas of intersectional feminism, which means that I
don’t think it’s enough to fight sexism per se. I think the fight is only efficient
if it’s for an inclusive and safe environment for all women. For that to
happen, other issues must be taken into consideration and be seen as
inseparable from feminism. People of color need to be included, and racism
must be fought. People with disabilities must be included, and ableism must
be fought. Trans people must be included, and transphobia must be fought.
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, aromantic people need to be
included, and sexual diversity must be defended. Poor, hungry, homeless,
illiterate people need to be included, and social inequality must be fought.
People with mental illness must be included, and the stigma they carry must
be fought as well.
Representation is a big issue inside feminism. How wide should it be?
Who should feminism include or exclude? Who can actually have a say in
how this fight should be fought? Should men be heard as well? Should
people be more heard the more oppressed they are?
I don’t have any answers for these questions. I’m not the person who will
say what feminism is or is not about. I have a voice, but I’m not the voice of
the movement. I can only speak on how I’ve decided to fight for a better
world through my work, and I really want to make it clear that my way is not
the only valid way.
One of my favorite authors, José Saramago, once said: “I learned not to try
to convince anyone. The work of convincing is a lack of respect; it’s an
endeavor of colonizing the other [Aprendi a não convencer ninguém. O
trabalho de convencer é uma falta de respeito, é uma tentativa de colonização
do outro].” In my opinion, it’s one of the wisest things anyone has ever said,
and also one of the hardest to truly acknowledge. So here’s my proposition:
let’s talk and learn, but let’s not try to colonize each other.
My approach has always been inclusion. Of course there are many people
who haven’t been represented in my work, and I can’t bring visibility to
everybody on my own. But I do my best to represent different people and to
inspire others to widen the representation of the human being in their own
works.
As for the themes, I try to approach a large diversity of issues. Not all
illustrations will be socially relevant everywhere. A theme can be, at the
same time, a bold topic in some countries and something trivial in another.
The project became international, and therefore not all themes will be
equally relevant to all cultures. Still, it’s important to know about fights other
than our own.
 Some women are in a situation of more vulnerability than others. Black
women face more violence than white women, trans women face more
violence than cis women, and a black trans lesbian woman will face an even
tougher daily challenge. Some things are more urgent than others. It’s only
natural and important that activism establishes fighting priorities. I try to
discuss these serious matters, but the fact that we have urgent topics doesn’t
mean we can’t talk about other themes as well. I think it’s important to
include the small things, the ones we don’t always take seriously in our
routine, but that bother us, and end up being part of a much larger issue of
control over our bodies, behaviors and identities.
As the title WOMEN suggests, I chose to draw only female characters for
this project. This decision was partially motivated by a personal
identification. But it’s not a project exclusively about women, or only for
women, and even less about all women at the same time. Not all the
situations I portray are lived only by women, and I welcome men (or people
of any other gender) to identify as well. Besides, I find it interesting to
awaken in men the chance to identify with female characters. I remember
that when I was a kid, it was common that the movies, books, and
animations starring female characters were seen as “for girls,” while stories
with male characters were “for everyone.” The fact that my protagonists are
women does not make this a project just “for girls.”
I have received several messages on my social networks from men, telling
me that they have learned a lot from my work. Some even said that it was
through my page that they realized that they had been disrespectful to
women and wouldn’t make that same mistake again. Nevertheless, I also got
messages from women saying that they noticed they were being judgmental
toward their sisters for their personal choices, and therefore were
contributing to a system of control over feminine autonomy; and so they
started to rethink their own comments.
I believe that’s a very positive effect of my work, and that’s only possible if
people who are not necessarily aware of the discussions inside the activist
movements are able to comment, ask, share their experiences, and join
constructive dialogues. At this point, many have said I should ban people
from the page and erase offensive comments (and I did erase some of the
comments from people who were very aggressive and disrespectful to
others). However, if I were to exclude everyone and anyone who said
something wrong out of ignorance, only those who were already informed
about these fights would remain on the page. That’s not the goal of my
project. I’m looking for dialogue, discussions, so that people learn from each
other’s words and experiences. We won’t change the world if we keep the
discussion within a small group of activists.
I’m not saying we all have the responsibility to explain the basic principles
of the fight against sexism, racism, homophobia, and so many other
oppressions. Many people can’t stand to do this anymore. I know women
who are tired and angry, and they have every right to be. Many of them have
been traumatized, harassed and disrespected, and have no energy left to say
the same things thousands of times. Nobody has the obligation to introduce
to others the basic fundaments of activist movements, but the way should be
open to those who wish to do it.
There are black, white, brown, Latin, Asian, African, Indian, indigenous
women. There are blind, deaf, mute women. There are bipolar, depressed,
suicidal, anxious women. There are engineers, housewives, prostitutes,
politicians, artists, executives, and porn stars who are women. There are
lesbians, bisexuals, aromantics, pansexuals, asexuals. There are trans,
genderfluid, binary, non-binary, intersex people. There are women who
experience three orgasms every day and women who have never achieved
one. Women who wear tons of makeup, women who can’t stand lipstick,
who don’t do their nails, who don’t sunbathe ever, and women who choose
to have a thousand plastic surgeries. There are women who want to dedicate
their lives to their families, and women who have no wish to build a family
of their own. There are women who like romantic comedies and women
who like horror movies, and women who like both. Women who wear pink
and women who wear black. There are Christian women, Muslim women,
Jewish women, atheist women, agnostic women, and Buddhist women.
There are women who are not activists, who have never heard of feminism,
who have never discussed racism. There are women who are ashamed of
sharing their choices because they fear they will be judged. And there are
women who disagree with everything I’ve said so far.
There are so many different women in the world that I could go on
forever. Each one has her own story, and I believe they all deserve to be
heard and represented. My approach will be wide, making everybody
comfortable getting to know the feminist movement and all of its strands,
welcoming anyone who shares with me this idea of freedom to celebrate the
diversity of the human kind. Come on in, have some coffee, and find a seat.
Everybody is invited.
 Body

Today, the female body is under constant watch. Women’s bodies have been
controlled in such a deep and effective way that often times we don’t even
notice it’s happening. We are regulated by a cruel standard of physical
perfection, with potentially devastating effects.
Throughout life, women are led to believe that they can only achieve real
success if they’re perceived as beautiful. Intelligence and talent don’t seem to
make much of a difference when the media is only interested in criticizing
women’s clothes, body hair, and silhouettes. The first thing to be analyzed in
a woman is always and inevitably her looks.
I want to deconstruct this idea with my Women illustrations. There isn’t a
single way to be beautiful, and neither should our looks be the focus of our
self-esteem. No one should be constantly monitored and evaluated based on
her looks—especially up to such standards—and the pressure needs to end.
Shaving, elegance, diets, and makeup: all of these are choices, never
obligations. Women should have full control over their own bodies!