Public Project
Wildflower
Wildflower
Content Warning: This essay includes discussion of rape and its aftermath.
Almost six years ago, I was raped. I was left with nothing, I became nothing. I was in a place so dark, I could only imagine getting out by cutting and purging. I learned that this was the cost of suffering in silence. So I decided I wouldn't be silent anymore.
I began to document my journey through photographs. As I continued to make images, I began reclaiming my narrative and my connection to the world. My project developed into an accumulation of reportage, portraiture, abstract and conceptual images, and prose and poetry, all depicting my five and a half year journey of healing and growth.
The prevalence of sexual assault is often presented through statistics: every 68 seconds an American is sexually assaulted. Every 9 minutes, that victim is a child. 1 out of 6 women are victims of rape. Meanwhile, only 25 of every 1000 reported perpetrators end up in prison. These statistics are a reminder of the constant danger and the lack of justice.
One of the most difficult parts of being a survivor is being socialized to believe that individual stories are not important, that you are not important, that I am not important. This socialization has fueled a culture of victim blaming and shaming, making sharing and finding support challenging. Survivors’ stories are known as whispered anecdotes instead of loud examples of courageousness. Wildflower strives to connect with survivors, reminding them that they are among the courageous, and above all, they are not alone.
Photographs and writing featured on CNN and NPR
National Geographic Storytelling Summit
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