Goddess Portraits.

“It ends with me”, said the goddess in the foggy morning forest about present aspects of patriarchy. These are the last photos of Olgaki with long curly hair. Here are some of her thoughts about femininity, appearance and hair:

“I connect my hair to the main compliments I get for my body: my beauty, my femininity, my sexiness… Maybe one more reason to cut it off? Bye mainstream role models! This is how the people around me know and picture me; the stereotypical sweet girly woman look of long hair and patriarchal beauty model. It made me feel insecure, but I was curious what else would come up to the surface if this part of my body would change.

When looking at the pictures I feel what I felt when we were taking them together: safety, fun, authenticity, freedom to express all that is not so acceptable elsewhere, proper and mainstream; hurt, anger, resentment, revolutionary fire for self protection and reclaiming our rights as women, as humans to be and look like we actually are, feel and want to be in every moment.

Feminine for me means something different in each situation, and the freedom to embody that. Whether I’m working in the garden connecting to the plants and mother earth, preparing a cake or a snack for a loved one or working on a project to practicing the perfect eyeline or dancing as a hippopotamus just because I can.

I decided to consciously cut off my traumas and parts I was ready to leave in the past. At the same time, it seemed as a pretty good way to start into a new chapter, arriving into spring. Sometimes I get a bit challenged about not seeing myself as “pretty or feminine” in the mirror, but then I remember why I did it and I feel into the craziness, lightness, self-empowerment, exploration and opportunity to decide who I want to be and I find my way back into my grounded center.”