The Feminist Photos Capture Female Agency

Tuscon-based photographer Liora K began The Feminist Photos series in March 2012 in response to a national wave of anti-choice, and anti-woman legislation. "I am not an excellent verbal communicator," she explains on her website, "I have a tendency to lose my words. Most of the time when I try to communicate ideas I end up using hand motions, sounds, and gibberish-sounding words to express the feeling of a situation instead of waiting for the perfect descriptive sentences... My photographs are direct translations of my thought process, unhampered by lost words. In this way, I find photography to be ideal for me as a way to seek change."

The idea of not just art, but the body itself as a form of protest has always been fascinating and beautiful to me. Using photographed nude and semi-nude female forms, often co-opted as a tool of patriarchy, as a means of protesting the patriarchy is just fantastic. It's a bold, honest, simple, yet obvious assertion: our bodies—this body—was never yours. Not to control, nor exploit to sell beer or magazines, nor rape, nor hide or present as you see fit. Our bodies are ours. They are a demonstration of our own agency and these words are written across our very skin whether you see them or not.

I've gathered just a few of the images below, but I'd highly recommend checking out the complete series (and, moreover, Liora's full, gorgeous portfolio).

Images: Courtesy Liora K Photography