When body-positive feminism meets creativity, you know only good things can happen. Carol Rossetti is a Brazilian artist whose beautiful drawings of various characters and the text that accompanies them have inspired a lot of people. “It was a very personal project that I never expected to grow to what it did,” explains Rossetti, of how quickly her images were shared around the world.
Each illustration features a statement about culturally or gender-based assumptions about what women should be doing with their bodies, and is followed by encouraging affirmations about bodily autonomy. For example, one of these images reads:
Babi is seven years old. Her parents found it a bit odd that she chose to take karate instead of ballet.
Babi, gender conventions should never limit your identity. You can do whatever you want!
Another reads,
It took Lorena a long time to find her sensuality because has never seen herself represented as beauty, only as tragedy.
But you are so much more than the way the media portrays you, aren’t you, Lorena? Your wheelchair is freedom and it can run over anyone who reduces you to stereotypes.
Rossetti’s work embraces many different facets of a person’s identity, paying particular attention to the physical traits or personal choices that often get stigmatized in society. She talks about women of color choosing to embrace their natural hair texture, abortion, body hair, disabilities, age, the experiences of transwomen, body shape, sexuality and asexuality, and much more. Many of these illustrations have resonated with women and girls around the world who share similar experiences, and are being translated into dozens of languages. Rossetti’s honest depictions of women and the importance of bodily autonomy and body positivity are truly inspiring.
Because so many women from around the world have reached out to Rossetti, she can now draw inspiration for more illustrations from people who have experienced things such as body-shaming or slut-shaming. There is a lot of power in taking social stigmas about female bodies and choice and turning them into something beautiful and empowering.
See all of Carol Rossetti’s work by visiting her Tumblr page.
Images: via Carol Rossetti Design.