For photographer Saundra Karol, making a social difference through photography is no longer just a dream. The Cape Project, a photography exhibit exploring women's inner strength, will be unveiled April 8 at The Studio, located in what's known as the Chicago Arts District.
Karol said that she began the project over a year ago to explore the persistent double standards and inequality women experience in society. She explained, "The inequality with how women are viewed is a huge issue and always has been. Looking back, it's never stopped me personally, but just knowing its there has always affected me. I wanted to do something about it."
For the project, each woman was photographed posing in a cape. Karol said she gave the women very little direction, wanting them to express their strength in whatever way appealed to them: "Once you give somebody the okay to look within and acknowledge their strengths it is amazing to see the transformation take place. The women, they put on the cape and their posture is better, they're excited and some I think are just going to walk out of the studio with it."
Along with being photographed wearing the cape, Karol also asked each woman to write her own strength story. Influenced by Karol's passion for the project and empowered by other women's stories, Amanda Alfaro, a lesbian who had accompanied her friend to the studio, decided it was time to tell her own story.
"I felt moved to tell my story and finally come out to everyone that I am gay," said Alfaro. For myself, it was a way of saying, 'I'm not scared anymore.' I can come out and be open to the world."
Alfaro is one of several lesbian and bisexual women to participate in The Cape Project. While the project is not specifically about any one particular struggle, Karol can see why lesbian and bisexual women might relate on an even deeper or more immediate level to the project. "I think its so appealing to the lesbian community because so many women in the lesbian community are passionate about, of course lesbian and gay issues, but also women's rights. I think it is a project that appeals to a lot of the strong women in the community. They might be more used to fighting for rights. This is another one that really hits close to home."
Lee Knauer, another lesbian participant, said, "Personally, I want to always be out in all of my day-to-day realms. Involvement in this project has been a way for me to mentally tie together all of my struggles with survival and recognize as a grown woman that I will not adjust my identity to fit a norm."
Knauer's strength story involved her continuing recovery from rape: "A few days prior to being introduced to the project I had a friend tell me that when she was 7 years old she was raped. It really [sank] low in my stomach hearing her story. I started thinking about my own rape recovery and how it always made me feel better when I found an outlet to talk about it. I think these stories need to be shared so that the community is aware of the affect these kinds of traumas have."
The way that The Cape Project affected both Alfaro and Knauer speaks to the power of women sharing their individual stories and how that sharing can help another woman find strength within, which is really the goal of the project. Karol would like to see more women feel empowered and stand up against the often-frustrating inequalities that exist. She believes every woman has a strength story worthy of sharing and that these stories will impact other women and girls.
"I think the diversity of the stories helps to show that women need strength for a plethora of reasons," said Knauer.
Alfaro agreed, saying, "I believe that the Cape Project speaks volumes to an array of issues. There are so many empowering points that I couldn't even think of where to begin, such as battling cancer, overcoming rape, being able to say 'yes I can.' There is something for everyone. I can only hope that people come out feeling more empowered then when they walked in. Know that anything is possible as long as you can believe."
Karol is particularly concerned with reaching young girls with the message of inner strength. She believes it's important to empower girls early on, before they have adopted self-esteem issues. She is hoping that many young girls will see her exhibit and be able to draw strength, just as adult women have, from the project.
"I think its something that needs to reach children," said Karol. "It needs to be addressed when females are young, for so many reasons. Why try to build your self-esteem and value when you are twenty years old? Why can't we start with girls when they are five? From when their born we should start valuing them and respecting them, helping them to feel their self worth so that while they are growing and maturing they become strong women. The only way to do that is to reach them when they are young. It is very important to bring this project in front of younger girls and to make them a part of it. It's their project too."
Knowing that she wanted to reach a wide audience, Karol developed the project with the intention of seeing it travel. She is hoping that she will eventually be able to take the piece on the road and reach women across the country.
The Cape Project will launch Friday, April 8, 6 p.m.-10 p.m. at The Studio, 1932 S. Halsted, Suite 408. For more information about The Cape Project visit, www.thecapeproject.com .
