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Rising voices – By @manouchrtn

By Manon Chrétien

 

Rising voices

Today I wanted to talk about a brand new project in my life. A week ago, I responded to a message on a Facebook creative group, from two girls who where looking for designers or illustrators to help them in a project. They are launching a print magazine, called Vagina-Nomics, about female sexuality, periods, sexual health and a lot of other subjects that used to be taboo in our society.

I got really excited about this project, because it is very actual, tongues are being more and more loosened and I’m really glad to have the opportunity to be a part of this female empowerment. I truly believe that we are going through a crucial transition period nowadays. Women talk more and more about harassment, rape and all sort of delightful things that happened to them. 

They used to be ashamed of what they had been through and as a result they thought it was better to be silent about it. But telling your story is a cathartic thing that is actually very important in the healing process. Sadly, someone very close to me was raped a few years ago. We were in vacation together, we were young and thought about rape like something far, a concept more than an actual fact, that happened to people. But it does happen and others need to know about it. Without living it, no one can imagine how awful it is to move forward after this kind of intimate attack. You never really forget it. I felt so powerless helping my friend. They never found the ones who did that. For all I know, they could be raping girls every summer and get away with it each time.

The worst part about it is the guilt felt by the victim. It doesn’t make sense, but it is the case of so many women all around the world. Today, with the emergence of powerful movements, such  as the #metoo hashtag, these women finally have a chance to speak, to have a voice, to share their story and to prevent those things from happening to other people. 

The problem is that there are also extremist feminists, who create a distraction from the initial debate and give a bad image of the movement. When you say you are a feminist, people picture you as a crazy lesbian with hairy-legs, shouting insults topless in political meetings. That is a bit extreme. I think that we all have the power to give more credibility to feminism and we should use it on our own scale, and I am not only talking about women. 

So that is why I am really glad to work on this magazine. It will be a great way to practice the skills I have been learning for 4 years now as well. My role is to help with the layout inside it, and… to do the cover. This is a huge opportunity for me, plus it will give visibility to my work and be added to my portfolio. Although, it is going to be printed in ten days, so the deadline is very very soon, good thing I like working under pressure.”

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