For too long women have been silenced, ignored, degraded, manipulated and sexualised.

The spectrum of female silencing is vast and for some of us, it would be more than we can handle to know of the atrocities that some women suffer. We cannot fathom the kind of misogyny that dominates some parts of the world, where the treatment of women is abhorrent and disgusting. Sadly, this kind of degradation cannot be halted by using hashtags or by starting projects. For the Western world at least (although our efforts are unlikely to touch these far parts of the world) we can fight to have the female voice heard so that our experiences are validated, so that we can be seen as people, equals and a force to be reckoned with.

My project, I Am Here, aims to show that women are more.

We are more than the status we have been given in society.

We are more than sexualised objects.

We are more than rape or sexist jokes.

We are more than a punching bag.

We are more than a silence for you to fill.

We are more than just aesthetics.

We are more than we have been given credit for.

We are worth more.

We have a voice, and we are here.

I have collected photos of women who have chosen how they want to be seen. Not how society tells them to be, not how culture depicts womanhood, but how individual women want to present themselves.Thank you so much to everyone who has taken part, you have chosen to find a voice in a society that tells you that you’re not allowed one.

Below is the full gallery, click on an image to see it full sized.