Students Pose for Women's Rights
By: Safira Schiowitz, Clark Wu
Photo Credits: Kelly McGahie
Last Sunday afternoon, a group of students mingled around fresh fruit and Italian antipastos clad in yellows, beiges and golds—an homage to the early feminist movement, and a symbol for the hopeful future of women’s rights. They gathered to be photographed for Unity in Color (UIC), an activist movement popular on social media that promotes women’s rights through global photoshoots.
The organizing process began a year prior when McGahie connected Kostina with the founder of Unity in Color, Jasmine Solano, an American DJ artist and a former regular visitor of the Academy. As winter term approached, logistical tasks divided evenly among McGahie and Kostina. “I dealt with the photo release forms and set up the signups survey,” McGahie said. “Elizabeth was instrumental in opening up the Goel Theatre to us, on a Sunday afternoon, and was the lead photographer for the shoot.”
At the photoshoot, senior, student photographer and UIC organizer Elizabeth Kostina delivered an inspiring introductory speech and a few adult organizers conducted video interviews with the student attendees, asking them questions about their impression of the photoshoot and their experience as a woman at PEA.
The primary teacher organizer, Assistant Director of Student Activities Kelly McGahie recounted this event as a uniquely organic experience. “At Exeter, the one muscle that we exercise constantly is our intellectual brain. You know, we're sitting around the Harkness table, we're always asking questions,” she said. “I don't know that we exercise our ‘feeling’ muscles as frequently. At Unity in Color, every single woman who sat down in front of me for a short video interview was willing to be open and vulnerable.”
Senior Selma Unver, a participant in the event, spoke to the impact of this honesty. “I think it’s powerful to see the people standing in the pictures,” she said. Unver is in full support with the steps Unity in Color is taking towards furthering the feminist cause. “I’m really happy that they’re doing what they’re doing, and I’m really happy that I was able to contribute to that,” she said.
Unver believes that the photoshoot encompassed the true nature of feminism. “I really like that they also have pictures of men taken, showing that the feminist movement isn’t just for females,” she said. “It’s literally just to treat people as equals.”
Prep Valerie Whitten felt that the event truly captured the bond made when women come together to fight for their rights. “[Unity in Color showed] visual aspects of the collaboration of amazing women and girls, while also showing the diversity, the confident, passionate and joyful moments we shared as an expression of visual feminism for people to see,” she said.
It was heartwarming for Kostina to see the participants encouraging each other. “Hearing others support their peers who were being photographed with compliments and opinions and watching them unable to resist a smile even when I had asked them to keep a straight face made me inexplicably happy,” she said.
Looking ahead, McGahie and Kostina will continue post-production work and wish to look out for refreshing, thought-provoking events such as Unity in Color. “In the next six weeks, we'll the shoot will have an official launch on @Unity_In_Color on Instagram,” McGahie said. “Wouldn't it be amazing if we did more things like this at Exeter that were organic and empowering, where people feel supported, and where that they could open up?”