In the U.S., women are almost two times more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety than men. Over 10% of women will suffer from postpartum depression after giving birth. Women are twice as likely to experience PTSD. Almost 40% of women will experience physical violence, sexual violence or stalking by a partner in their lifetime and more than half of those cases are never reported to authorities for fear of repercussion or not being believed.

I had recently been struggling with my own journey and was told that I needed to just keep pushing; to try harder, to suck it up. It was when I finally opened up to those closest to me that I came to realize almost all of the women in my life had their own stories to tell. This is where the idea for this project was born.

I’ve decided to use photography to tell our stories. In this project, I am asking you to sit for portraits without smiling. I’ve always felt obligated to smile no matter how I’m feeling in photos, so I wanted to use this as an opportunity to do the opposite. To really sit with your feelings you felt during your struggles and release. The portraits will be accompanied by your stories. I’ll be providing a form for you to fill out using the same prompt I’m providing to everyone:

Tell me about a time when you felt that you were struggling in some way and you felt pressured, obligated, or were actually told to smile and show up anyway even when you felt you couldn’t.

• This project is for anyone who has in the past identified or currently identifies as a woman. All ages, races, and pronouns are welcome!

• I am planning on doing other installments of this project in the future with other groups

• During presentation of this project (publishing, galleries, etc.) the stories will be mismatched to the photos so they remain anonymous (unless otherwise requested). I want this to be a release and an opportunity to tell your truth and let go without the pressure of being outed.

• We all were programed to some degree to silently carry our burdens/secrets while also keeping up with the world around us and I want this project to end the stigma and help build a community.

• I encourage you to be as detailed, personal, and intense as you’d like. The longer the better. No topics are off the table. Swearing, triggering topics, etc. are all welcome. No judgement.

• The photos take less than 15 minutes and it can be as personal and emotional as you like. My space is a safe space.

If you are interested in participating, please contact me using this form. Please share this far and wide so we can get as many participants as possible! I will be releasing a schedule of dates/times for shooting and will provide the link to the schedule for all who would like to participate.