GALLERY: Maggie West’s Neon NSFW Full-Frontal Fight Against Rape Culture
Celebrating women’s bodies; protesting gender inequality, sexual harassment, and police violence; and lifting each other up is essential feminist work. In a new art installation, Los Angeles-based photographer Maggie West, who specializes in experimental technicolor lighting and whose work increasingly critiques still-rigid contemporary ideas about gender and sexuality, worked with 40 women subjects — including Stephanie Beatriz, Joanna Angel, Nikki Hearts, Gaby Dunn, Trace Lysette, Alexis Zall, Isis King and more — to do just that.
“An unashamed woman is a mighty powerful force, but a hoard of women who’ve taken to the streets to shed their shame — well that’s unstoppable,” says Whitney Bell, one of the women featured.
Part of Amber Rose’s third Slutwalk, 96 is an outdoor steel-and-plexiglass art installation, with nudes printed on triangles to form an outdoor stained glass ceiling in the middle of Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles. A play on the idea of women saints depicted in stained glass as a celebration of their purity, in 96, West celebrates women’s freedom to sexual self-expression and to protest sexual violence. In an artist statement, West notes, “The title, 98, is taken from a Department of Justice statistic that says every 98 seconds an American is sexually assaulted.”
The project includes 40 women, including queer women and trans women — artists, sex workers, actors, models, photographers, and the internet famous — to help highlight the unavoidable experience of sexual harassment. “Diversity is a very important part of this project. All women (including queer women, trans women, sex workers, etc.) have experienced the type of harassment, violence and discrimination Slutwalk was designed to protest,” says West. “This installation brings together women of various backgrounds, ethnicities, and sexual orientations to send a message about a woman’s right to sexual expression without experiencing threats or violence.”
96 opens October 1. Can’t get to downtown LA or want a preview? Check out a selection of the work below.
Stephanie Beatriz by Maggie West
Megan Lytle by Maggie West
Paulina Hurtado by Maggie West
Gaby Dunn by Maggie West
Ana Foxxx by Maggie West
Arisce Wanzer by Maggie West
Tanya Negin by Maggie West
Kellee Moran by Maggie West
Keisha Grey by Maggie West
Leigh Raven by Maggie West
Nikki Hearts by Maggie West
Jazzmyne Robbins by Maggie West
Sanam Sindhi by Maggie West
Caroline Miner by Maggie West
Isis King by Maggie West
Crissy Milazzo by Maggie West
Riley Nixon by Maggie West
Stephanie Frosch by Maggie West
Luna Lovebad by Maggie West
Gia Gunn by Maggie West
No Filter: Carrie Brownstein, Take It Down A Notch
Welcome back to No Filter, your weekly dose of celebrity Instagram with a side of whatever Kristen Stewart’s been doing with herself (this week, it was wearing Chanel to a Chanel Oscars party). This week, everybody went to the Oscars and it was very impressive and we found out that Caitlyn Jenner and Andreja Pejic are not dating (we didn’t even think they were, but OK!).
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRAd00MDNQp/
Look at this perfect queen eating chocolate in a limo. Janelle’s overall Oscar season Instagram situation has been really top notch.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRAKvO2jSKl/
Carrie Brownstein wore this insanely perfect suit to a Sleater-Kinney show in Portland and none of us are ever going to look this good in a blazer so we might as well give up now.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ–I49jWcO/
DANIELLE BROOKS YOU CAN KEEP THE GIRLS UP ALL NIGHT IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.
#Transparent's @tracelysette is here! #SpiritAwards pic.twitter.com/OQdfCsNx1H
— IFC (@IFC) February 25, 2017
Trace Lysette, you need to calm down. I am actually upset by how long I’ve been watching this gif.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ36i6sjGLK/
Evan Rachel Wood is high again. Girl, it’s a cheetah.
Listen, I don’t know anything about knitting but I know that I am obsessed with this sweater Jasika Nicole made.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BREh7DKgFAj/
El Sanchez is here to inquire about the businessperson’s special.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRAQHHyl0DZ/
You know what we haven’t been covering nearly enough of in this column? Sara Quin’s cat drinking a La Croix.
Join us next week, when I’d like to have a better understanding of who exactly Danielle Brooks is taping up. Is it me? I hope it’s me.
No Filter: Lena Waithe Got You An Americano, Left Room For Almond Milk
Welcome back to No Filter, where we give thanks for all the pictures Tegan and Sara posted of their cats this year. This week, Samira Wiley didn’t post any good selfies because she doesn’t love me and doesn’t want me to be happy, but that’s OK because a lot of other celebrities took carefully-curated photos of their mega-glamorous private lives and posted them on the internet for their adoring fans. There are enough heart-eye emojis to go around. Let’s start things off by objectifying Brittani Nichols and go from there.
https://instagram.com/p/-NxW2Sq6W8/
I would be remiss if we didn’t kick things off with a sample of how goddamn goodlooking Brittani Nichols looks in her festive new Autostraddle sweater.
Not pictured: Leisha Hailey’s upstairs neighbor banging on the floor and threatening to call the cops.
https://instagram.com/p/-LR1r7sZZZ/
I just keep picturing Ruby Rose’s assistant or friend or whoever when she was like, “Hey, can you take a picture of me staring pensively out the window real quick? I wanna look deep in thought.” Caption this, GO.
https://instagram.com/p/-W14rCRdqp/
Janet Mock met Tyler Ford and THIS IS HOW CUTE IT WAS.
https://instagram.com/p/-ab6QHRx9M/
Sleater-Kinney met Shamir. I mean, Shamir met Sleater-Kinney. Everybody in this picture is a winner.
https://instagram.com/p/-cLJD4GFdu/
At long last, I can finally tell Tegan and Sara apart.
https://instagram.com/p/-caU7rRA0G/
I’m here for Trace Lysette in this suit. BYE.
Jasika Nicole spent this week building her own weaving loom and making ceramics, so in her spare time she also helped mastermind this very unsettling gluten-free fabric. We get it, Jasika, you’re good at everything forever.
Lastly, here is your girlfriend Lena Waithe. Here’s what she would look like if she took you on a coffee date. She’d put her arm around you while you waited in line for the barista, she’d double check to make sure they used almond milk in your latte, and she’d be a good tipper. I can just tell.
Join us next week, when Leisha Hailey learns the mandolin and strums it gently beneath your bedroom window.
No Filter Pregamed For The Emmys With Samira Wiley, Carrie Brownstein and Brittani Nichols
Welcome to No Filter, the most intellectually stimulating and psychologically rewarding column on all of Autostraddle dot com. This week, everybody walked a red carpet and looked glamorous and presumably hobnobbed with one another. You might have heard about it! Otherwise, they’ve been lounging in the park with their gal pals, walking their tiny dogs or wearing cute hats. Let’s hop to it:
Samira, Selenis and Diane are Taylor, Cee and me on the staff bus to A-Camp, apparently.
https://instagram.com/p/73jzn9xx_2/
Oh, just my dream date Carrie Brownstein squiring Miranda July to the Emmys, just a typical day.
https://instagram.com/p/71fWzShnge/
All of our favourite lesbians’ weirdo homo soccer league got cute uniforms!
Kate Moennig and Camila Grey didn’t get uniforms because they are injured. Ruby Rose didn’t get one because she’s on tour, slicking her hair back and staring intensely at people.
According to Riese, “I don’t even know if we are ready for what Ellen Page openly having a girlfriend means for us as a society.” She’s right. However, one thing it definitely means is more unsolicited opinions from brandon_jacob_34.
https://instagram.com/p/75qMKxRA6U/
Is it in bad taste for me as a neutral, responsible journalist to comment on how crazy hot Trace Lysette looked at the Emmys, like she does in this picture with Hari Nef? Because if so, I’ll leave it to you. I believe this is what esteemed Dr. Lizz Rubin would refer to as a “smokeshow.”
Fashion week lives.
https://instagram.com/p/743pqAK6fS/
I’d like to celebrate Brittani Nichols’ excellent post-Emmys look here. She describes it as “lesbian mobster,” only I read it as “lesbian monster” and kept thinking “aw, but she looks nice.”
https://instagram.com/p/74Z-JpJYBP/
Why, how’d you celebrate YOUR Emmy night?
https://instagram.com/p/70nitimFSL/
Tegan and Sara had a birthday and somebody got them these hats, portraits of the cats and an “IT’S TWINZ” banner. I hope they ate a lot of fried carbs.
Mainly posting this so that we can A) dream of a time when we would have asked the very dreamy young Tatum O’Neal to the A-Camp prom, B) speculate about wtf exactly is going on between her and Rosie and C) admire how adorable people her age are when they try to figure out things like “Throwback Thursday” (a previous post includes the hashtag #tbthursday). You’re so close, kid!
https://instagram.com/p/70xzdspc6Y/
Remember Lindsay Lohan? Well, she got locked in an elevator. Lindsay Lohan is reliving her days in the hit blockbuster smash Just My Luck these days.
Join us next week, when teen gumshoe Encyclopedia Brown investigates just who’s been putting bisexual former child stars in elevators around here.
No Filter Celebrates World Cup Victory and Ellen Page Holding a Baby
Welcome back to No Filter, your weekly guide to everything Abby Wambach ordered on her victory pizza. This week, I’m told that some sports happened! Also, there were a lot of fireworks and BBQs. I don’t understand how any of those things work, so I watched Independence Day by myself in my backyard and spent a few contemplative hours looking at celesbian Instagram. Here’s what I found:
We may as well get started with Megan Rapinoe, right?
It’s 10 am, have you thought about babies yet today? Here’s Ellen Page with a baby.
How about Samira Wiley with Lauren Morelli’s dog?
https://instagram.com/p/4qY_XzGFX_/
Same.
https://instagram.com/p/4r9H1VG6GK/
Every time Maritza and Flaca are friends in real life, a kitten gets its wings.
Laverne Cox is working on footage for her Free CeCe McDonald documentary, and seeking out last-minute support for their Indiegogo fundraiser.
https://instagram.com/p/42ymplxA3F/
Transparent season 2 is almost upon us. Namaste. Hey girl, hey.
https://instagram.com/p/4vaONQJYqc/
Ela Darling and her gal pal Arden Sirens celebrated one year of wearing matching outfits and looking like the twins in The Shining.
Probably the biggest story (on my end) of the past week was Miley Cyrus and Stella Maxwell’s suddenly awfully public relationship, which means that the biggest story of the coming week is that Stella is hanging out with Miley’s cats. Instagramming your girlfriend’s cat elevates Stella into an entirely new echelon of gay, and we’re happy to welcome her.
Join us next week, when the ladies of OITNB form a hardscrabble soccer league and take on rival prisons.