In recent years, the conversations about harassment against females and female empowerment have become more prominent. Stop Telling Women to Smile by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh attempts to address gender based street harassment by placing drawn portraits of women, composed with captions that speak directly to offenders, outside in public spaces. On the streets of New York, Fazlalizadeh has created murals that read ‘Stop telling women to smile’, ‘My outfit is not an invitation’ and ‘You are not entitled to my space’. The murals are a bold show of female empowerment and the rediscovery of the female voice. Fazlalizadeh explains, ‘This project takes women’s voices, and faces, and puts them in the street – creating a bold presence for women in an environment where they are so often made to feel uncomfortable and unsafe.’

Find out more about Tatyana Fazlalizadeh and Project Stop Telling Women to Smile here and here!