Megan Lane: Women and Trump

.

Photography and Text by Megan Lane, Copyright 2016

.

Women and Trump

.

“It’s 2016! Sexism doesn’t exist anymore!”

.

When Donald Trump first announced his candidacy, I, like many others, thought it was a joke. He is a reality TV star. He’s used to saying all the ridiculous things that come out of his head without dealing with any of the consequences. People really like to watch shows where the stars are real people with outrageous experiences. Trump supporters are Americans that don’t really know what it going on in politics, but really like to watch Trump cause drama. Everyone loves that Trump has rejected the idea of “political correctness.” Why not just say what you want? As long as your intentions are good, it doesn’t matter, right?

Megan_Lane_photography_politics_presidential_election_2016_trump_quotes_aginst_women_cherish_candidate_

If you take each of Donald Trump’s quotes out of context they don’t seem so bad.  Distasteful maybe, but not horrible. What people like Trump and his followers don’t understand is that it’s true that Trump is just saying what everyone is too PC to say. That’s the scariest part. When I asked for models to volunteer for this project, I was flooded with volunteers.

Megan_Lane_photography_politics_presidential_election_2016_trump_quotes_aginst_women_flatchested

Every woman I knew wanted to be a part of it. And each model got to choose her own Trump quote. These are not just the quotes of Trump, but the quotes of millions of people. Our fathers, our brothers, our peers and strangers have all said things similar to the words I wrote on their skin.

Megan_Lane_photography_politics_presidential_election_2016_trump_quotes_aginst_women_piece_ass

It happens at night when we are walking home alone. It happens in class when someone wants to put us in our place. It happens so often that it is exhausting.

Megan_Lane_photography_politics_presidential_election_2016_trump_quotes_aginst_women_mouth_taped_shut

These quotes are written on the skin of these women because each one has heard these words directed at them. The photos are sexual but they shouldn’t be. A bare back, a bare leg, a bare stomach, a bare neck… There is nowhere on a woman’s body that you can write down the misogyny she has encountered without that body part being sexualized.

Megan_Lane_photography_politics_presidential_election_2016_trump_quotes_aginst_women_mouth_taped_shut

How would the mood of this project change if the models were men? I look forward to the day in which a woman’s shoulder, breast, and stomach are just as sexual as a man’s shoulder, breast and stomach.  I am an equal opportunity objectifier, after all.

 

Megan_lane_UPenn_photography
Portrait of Megan Lane by David Pang, Copyright 2016

 

About The Author: Megan Lane is a junior majoring in Behavioral Science at the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2018.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *