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2022, Whose America?
Two female protestors are escorted away by police officers outside the 1986 San Diego Miss America Contest. One woman smiles wide while the other struggles against the officer, holding a sign that reads "PAGEANTS EXPLOIT WOMEN." This photograph is from the series Holy, published in 2020, consisting of pictures of women taken over the last 50 years across the United States. Ferrato states Holy is "about the unleashed power of women. What women have gained over the last 50 years. The hard-won freedom that women are losing."
Feminist activists have long argued that beauty pageants promote the antiquated notion that women's value lies in their beauty, purity, and agreeability. Ferrato's photojournalism captures the spontaneous moments of real life, documenting the world in unrehearsed snapshots. While the light bathing the figures seems artificial, the multi-directional chaos of this scene contrasts starkly with the tightly controlled refinement of most beauty pageants.
Text by Courtney Cox, Washburn student