Consent - The Rise of Persephone
Consent - The Rise of Persephone
Persephone appears muted through the story of her mother. Like her story wasn’t really supposed to be shared. Amidst her abuse, she cried for help, screamed in fear, yet no one would listen. And just like that, the maiden of spring becomes the queen of the underworld. Burdened by a choice she was not allowed to make, she opens herself to her mother and points a lingering finger, only to be told not to be excessive.
As Persephone, women still carry stories of abuse on their shoulders, moments when they cried out and no one listened, moments when they were told to not be hysterical, to accept their fate with a closed mouth.
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On these photographs I tried to explore the feminine traces of a story told by the masculine mouth, a myth heavy of centuries of reinforcement, where the feminine consent was dismissed repeatedly.
Like Persephone, many other women in the occidental myths are painted in a negative light. Made objects or pariahs, shrunk and mistreated for being vocal and powerful.
As these myths bled into the subconscious of the society, generations of women were taught to fear their power and to give away their consent.
If we believe that Persephone can rise beyond a classic outdated text and carry a crown up high, we can believe we too may rise from the shadows of the underworld and bring spring to today.
Filipa Moreno, 2020.