honorable mention
Jasmine Whitmore united states
title
Vulnerability
Black women have been forced to put their bodies on display for centuries; from auctions during slave trades to having their nude body displayed in “freak shows” and museums to their skeletons being displayed centuries after their death. Putting my body on display is not too meant to arouse anyone. It’s not only about me finding comfortability in taking self-portraits of myself, and my journey to finding who I am through the practice of photography. It’s about the Sara Baartman’s who aren’t referred to as Sara Baartman, but as Hottentot Venus. The women who were forced to put themselves on display for other’s entertainment. I’m giving people as much access as I’m willing to give them. I’m allowing them to see what I want them to see, not what they want, or desire, to see.
She works in photography and video to build visual archives to not only address her personal feelings with being a plus-size woman but to also work to debunk the stereotypes forced onto Black Plus-Size Women.
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entry description
When I first started practicing my love for photography, I wanted to only photograph portraits of people. However, I knew deep down that I wasn’t fully enjoying the work that I was producing. Something was missing for me, and it took me a while to realize that the work that I was producing didn’t truly matter at the end of the day. There’s nothing wrong with photographing pretty people and wanting that image to be on a billboard or magazine, but the pretty face being published doesn’t look like me. That’s how I came to my current photographic practice. I realized that I could use the camera to not only share my own personal struggles and life story, but I can also debunk the stereotypes and negative representation given to Black Plus Size Women.Black women have been forced to put their bodies on display for centuries; from auctions during slave trades to having their nude body displayed in “freak shows” and museums to their skeletons being displayed centuries after their death. Putting my body on display is not too meant to arouse anyone. It’s not only about me finding comfortability in taking self-portraits of myself, and my journey to finding who I am through the practice of photography. It’s about the Sara Baartman’s who aren’t referred to as Sara Baartman, but as Hottentot Venus. The women who were forced to put themselves on display for other’s entertainment. I’m giving people as much access as I’m willing to give them. I’m allowing them to see what I want them to see, not what they want, or desire, to see.
about the photographer
Jasmine Veronica (b. 1999, West Palm Beach, Florida) is currently pursuing her BFA in Studio from The School of the Art Insitute of Chicago.She works in photography and video to build visual archives to not only address her personal feelings with being a plus-size woman but to also work to debunk the stereotypes forced onto Black Plus-Size Women.
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