WHY I'VE DECIDED TO FOCUS MY ENTIRE LIFE'S WORK AROUND WOMEN, GOING FORWARD!

In the entertainment industry, it's nothing short of uncommon to come across artists from all walks of life. Rich, poor, Black, White, male, female. But my problem lies within the latter. Amongst those that I've had the privilege to work and interact with; the minority is ALWAYS WOMEN!

Why is that?

Why have we continuously credited men as the face of every crowning achievement that has been offered to the world? Why do we fawn over them and forgive them simply because we find them attractive? Why devoid them of any accountability when we know and they know that they've participated in some immoral act?

And why, when we know better, do we continue to hire and hand over our hard-earned money to fund half-assed art just because they hold a higher status in our societal hierarchy? Support it? Uphold it?

More importantly -- why do we never see women being uplifted for the hard work they put in? The accolades they have to accomplish cost 10x the effort just to get half the praise their male counterparts receive. Women are expected to be polished, perfect, palatable. Even when they fall short, women are torn to shreds over the simplest of mistakes, embarrassed and degraded beyond no return, never offered the same grace or chance to prove themselves.

We don't even allow them to be "villainous" (though "villainy" is in the eye of the beholder). We expect them to have this squeaky-clean fabricated image in order to earn our approval. With women, we never get to see the authentic versions of themselves. Though in reality, women truly owe us nothing. But WE owe them everything.

There are many a platform that are so obviously male-centered which I have found to be so...boring! They are devoid of any true personality, bland, repetitive even. Photographers are often drawn to making the focal point of their portfolios full of all things men; bands, artists, underground communities and subcultures, creatives, brands, and so on. What I've come to learn is that women, in the sanctity of a comforted space, are so complex yet so multifaceted that it's almost intimate. In the bathrooms, women compliment the most intricate details of each other's outfits and speak as if they've known each other for years. At shows, they dance without a care in the world like they're the only ones in the room. In the green rooms, they swap stories and share experiences that even their closest of relatives don't know about. The vulnerability that exudes in confessions about mental health, addiction, trauma, careers, familial backgrounds, identity, etc. is awe-inspiring. Womanhood, in itself, is inherently inspiring.

Yet somehow.

SOMEHOW.

None of this is being captured. Not properly, at least.

Granted, not everyone will understand the "female" perspective nor know how to properly commemorate it. I don't expect them to. Moreover, I acknowledge too that there are things solely meant for us, by us. But goddamn, it shouldn't even be a question on how important it is to get the representation we deserve!

"Womanhood." "Girlhood." I really hate those terms. Not for the reasons you think. The phrases "womanhood," albeit "girlhood" are often misinterpreted into "cutesy," "soft," "petite" glory. Sophia Coppola and her wonderful coated pink world of romanticized, misunderstood white women in film. Sylvia Plath, raising generations of women who hold her as the patron saint for all women's struggles. Lana Del Rey's lyrics curating a trend of "I'm just a girl" quotes and other infantilizing behaviors of the modern-day woman.

Womanhood is a dramatically, vast experience that can't be defined by such limiting notions. There is no singular entity that possesses you into an enlightenment of femininity, and suddenly it's "okay, NOW I get it." There is more to us than just "cute". And it belongs to the forefront just as much, if not more than what is already shown.

Womanhood is gritty, rough around the edges.

It is territorial in nature, yet zealous to the touch.

Devotion is embraced unless we're given a reason to be apathetic.

It is a spectrum, one of which all aspects -- and I mean ALL -- are worthy of being seen. There is nothing in womanhood that I would ever be afraid to express, even if I were screaming into a void. And neither should you. It's why I feel so comfortable in going this direction. I will always be content with this if it means I can encourage all of you, or at least have it been taken into consideration, to have at some point in your life a creative project that exclaims what womanhood is to you.

I choose to provide my services in shooting women and femmes, writing about women and femmes, interviewing women and femmes, to dissect the diverse, hidden aspects of our everyday lives. The culture that WE push yet get undermined for are long overdue for accreditation. Without the support of women, who knows how many of us would be standing here today. I think, too, that this mission I'm on heavily stems from my dedication to healing my inner little girl while still growing into the woman I see myself to be. I'm the one allowing it to be a steppingstone of my current journey, including the repairment of my relationships with other women. Often, we're taught to compare ourselves to one another, to nitpick each other based off our own insecurities. In turn, we create oftentimes delusional judgements of character while pitting ourselves in unnecessary drama! But I refuse to let that penetrate my commitment to sisterhood and especially womanhood.

So, when someone asks me -- "Why is it your work has only women in it?" I'll simply respond: "because I want women to get the level of shine that I want for myself. No matter the portrayal, even if disgustingly hideous. I want it to be seen in a light that stripes it down in all its authentic glory. Women are not perfect. Why should we pretend to be? For your comfortability? Is there a reason the idea of womanhood strikes fear into the rest of society? Isn't it time we fix that?"

XOXO, MESSY GIRLZ X DESTRUCTION DOLL