Stop Telling Me To Smile: 2 Rad Parsons Students Photograph Sad Gurlz as A Reponse

BY TABITHA SHIFLETT

Meet SAD GURL Ashley! "I'm a sad gurl because I'm a single 20 year old virgin with a heavy sexual appetite. I hate going to clubs but my friends force me to go out and I never get in." #sadgurl #lookrookie #portrait #SADGURLZ

A photo posted by SAD GURLZ™ (@wearesadgurlz) on Feb 29, 2016 at 8:07am PST

If you’re a woman, then you’ve probably experienced the whole You Should Smile More charade. We’ve heard it all before – those gross, sexist comments ranging from, “Life isn’t that bad, honey!” to the plea, “Smile!

Usually, a man, grinning ear-to-ear like a Cheshire cat, is behind this annoying string of cliché phrases just waiting for us to have an epiphany – thanks to his underhanded compliment – and smile like we’re told.

Fed up and completely unamused with what society has dubbed as “resting bitch face,” Parsons photography students Sam Lichtenstein and Jess Williams took matters into their own hands.

The cheeky photo collaboration, “SAD GURLZ,” is a collation of portraits of bold, badass women redefining what it means to have a poker face – or just a face that walks down the street, minding its own business. Radiating rebellion, the images project power and major self-respect.

Your favorite SAD GURLZ are celebrating LGBT pride this month!

A photo posted by SAD GURLZ™ (@wearesadgurlz) on Jun 3, 2016 at 8:57am PDT

Both Lichtenstein and Williams spoke with an air of certainty and seriousness.

“We tell our models to look as bored, unamused, and annoyed as possible,” says Lichtenstein.  “Which is contrary to how women are normally portrayed in photos....Women are always being told to smile, whether it’s in a photo or when they are just walking down the street, so we want to push that idea aside.”

To become a SG, models must apply via an online form with a theme and color backdrop in mind. Each model is accompanied by a short narrative further explaining the meaning of their photo.

Model Ana, who posed with a handful of Wendy’s French fries, writes "I'm a SAD GURL because eating healthy is the new black. Personally, I'd pick chicken nuggets over an apple any day.”

Meet SAD GURL Haley! "I'm a SAD GURL because I enjoy alone time, and writing about the people in my life. I have been trying not to hide myself anymore, and having my photo taken makes me uncomfortable, so that's why I wanted to be a part of this project."

A photo posted by SAD GURLZ™ (@wearesadgurlz) on Apr 15, 2016 at 7:03am PDT

The photoshoot is a two-step process – once the accepted candidates are photographed against the background of their choice, a compilation of items that correlate with the theme are also shot. The two photos are then displayed side-by-side on the SG website, Instagram account, and Facebook page.

“It’s hard being a woman and even more so for those in the LGBT community,” says Williams. “We want SAD GURLZ to be an outlet for all women to speak out without actually having to say anything.”

The project began in February as an online photo album. But once word got out, the dynamic duo found their inbox overflowing with inquiries. They participated in Parsons' PHOTOFEAST, a bi-annual pin-up exhibit open to New York photography students. That was in April. 

“We’re in contact with an all-female gallery in Tempe, Arizona and there’s talk of doing a collaboration and having our very first SG gallery show,” says Williams. “There’s also a magazine based in Spain and Belgium that plans on featuring us and our work.”

And, as if that wasn’t exciting enough, the two say they’re in the process of publishing a 75-page book that features the models they’ve photographed thus far.

“It feels so good to have our work recognized by the people around us,” says Williams. “But, it’s exhilarating to find that our work is being acknowledged by others across the country and the world.”

SAD GURLZ LUV SPRING BREAK ☀️🌊🐠 #SADGURLZ #springbreak #portrait

A photo posted by SAD GURLZ™ (@wearesadgurlz) on Mar 20, 2016 at 11:15am PDT

Meet SAD GURL Miranda! "I'm a SAD GURL because I love living in New York City but I also love nature and hiking and the beach. It's hard to find a balance between the two without going crazy."

A photo posted by SAD GURLZ™ (@wearesadgurlz) on Jun 17, 2016 at 5:22am PDT

Meet SAD GURL Alexis! "I'm a SAD GURL because I am aware that I don't know everything but through self empowerment and knowledge I am finding out more about myself everyday."

A photo posted by SAD GURLZ™ (@wearesadgurlz) on May 13, 2016 at 4:24pm PDT

Fans can currently pre-order the book on the SG website. 

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Tabitha Shiflett is a graduate of the Dub (The University of North Carolina Wilmington, UNCW). She's written for Her Campus, Seahawk Chic, CBSLocal and Elite Daily. She is currently enrolled in the Creative Publishing and Critical Journalism MA program at The New School in New York City. 

8 Women-Run Magazines We Read Everyday (& So Should You)

BY LISA MARIE BASILE

There are literally countless gorgeous, intelligent and necessary blogs/mags/collectives out there, and we hope to one day discover, read and feature all of them, but lo & behold, time is not on our side. 

So for now, we present some of our favorite magazines out there, each run, edited or funded by women. 

To get a sense of each magazine, we offer up a representative article and a personal note on why we're into them. But even that can't do them justice. Please do check out these sites. You will wake up a better human being for it.

Oh, and if you have suggestions for other magazines we should feature, please leave them in the comments!

The Establishment: We're a multimedia company run and funded by women that’s predicated on a simple, yet radical notion: the world is a better, more interesting place when everyone has a voice.
The Inevitability of Creative Jealousy

Note: The editors over at The Establishment are unapologetic, brave and consistently devoted to progressive voices. They're exemplary at publishing high-quality work rather than clickbait, which is always refreshing. Also, they're funny. We here haven't quite nailed that yet. 

Brown Girl Magazine: Founded in 2008, Brown Girl Magazine, LLC is an online publication tailored and targeted to young South Asian women living in the diaspora.
What Happens When You Write About Dating in a Culture Where Relationships are Taboo

Note: This magazine is dedicated to their demographic by always publishing really smart + service-oriented content that pushes boundaries and inspires readers. Also, I worked with Kamini, their managing editor, once upon a time. Kamini is veritably amazing.

Witch Craft Mag: Founded in 2015, Witch Craft is a print magazine and micropress with the goal of publishing work that moves us to believe in magic again.

Card of the Week: The King of Pentacles

Note: The coolest thing about this magazine, aside from its wonderful editors Elle & Catch Business, is that it really does create a sense of peace, creativity, magic and dedication to aesthetic. The tarot articles, poetry and overall vibe is a dream. It's a safe little place on the internet that makes life better.

The Slutist: Slutist is a sex positive feminist collective that was founded by Kristen Korvette in 2013. Slutist aims to uncover and undress the intersections between sex, gender, sexuality and feminism in art, entertainment, and politics while breaking down binaries of style/substance, brains/beauty, masculine/feminine, and virgin/whore. 
Great Moments in Historical Sluttery: Messalina, Excess and Disgrace in Imperial Rome

Note: Luna Luna's staff attended the Slutist Legacy of the Witch party in Brooklyn last year and we can tell you: these ladies are badass, radical, and smart as hell. We read their brilliance on the regular. 

For Harriet: For Harriet is an online community for women of African ancestry. We encourage women, through storytelling and journalism, to engage in candid, revelatory dialogue about the beauty and complexity of Black womanhood. We aspire to educate, inspire, and entertain. 
Dr. Linda Chavers on #BlackGirlMagic and the Article that Started a Firestorm

Note: This is such an important publication. Its content is always of the highest quality, really pushing readers to think--they also have a badass fashion sister site, Coloures, which is really cool (they really make fashion + beauty work well). All the content has a thread of power, opinion, race, society and gender. So smart. 

WEIRD SISTER: WEIRD SISTER explores the intersections of feminism, literature and pop culture. We feature essays, interviews, comics, reviews, playlists, secret diaries, and love letters written in invisible ink. 
Three Pieces of Feminist Advice From Jackie “Moms” Mabley

Note: We love the pop culture aspect of this site. It's always on-point. But the most rewarding thing about WEIRD SISTER is the rotation of voices: it's diverse, always sincere, and really fun to read. 

Smarty Mommies: Smarty Mommies is a website dedicated to intelligently discussing the experience of being a smart, thinking mother.
There's Hope: Clothes for Girls

Note: Our staff isn't made up of moms over here, but we sure do appreciate reading Smarty Mommies because it is a progressive blog for mothers who want to shatter stereotypes and gender roles--something plenty of other parenting sites are ignoring. Not to mention, a few of our own writers/former staff work over there, and it's nice to watch them bring the badassery to others.

Autostraddle:  Autostraddle is an intelligent, hilarious & provocative voice and a progressively feminist online community for a new generation of kickass lesbian, bisexual & otherwise inclined ladies (and their friends).
Rebel Girls: 9 Queer, Feminist, and/or Gender Theorists (Who Aren’t Judith Butler)

Note: Autostraddle is just the best site. Honestly, if you're ever looking to read progressive voices or you need to be reminded that humanity has a soul, this is the site for you. Every article is smart and fun and cool, like this one about Dana Scully, everyone's favorite investigator. 

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Lisa Marie Basile is a NYC-based writer and editor. She’s the founding editor-in-chief of Luna Luna Magazine and keeps a blog at Ingenuex.com. Her work has appeared in The Establishment, Bustle, Bust, Hello Giggles, The Gloss, xoJane, YourTango, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and The Huffington Post, among other sites. She is the author of Apocryphal (Noctuary Press, Uni of Buffalo). Her work as a poet and editor have been featured in BuzzFeed, Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls, The New York Daily News, Ravishly and Bust. She currently works for Hearst Digital Media, where she edits for The Mix, their contributor network of more than 1000 writers. Previously, she was the director of content for a marketing platform, and a managing editor at a social content platform. She earned her Master's degree at The New School and attended Pace University for undergrad as well as Columbia University as one of 20 selected for an editorial workshop. She has spoken about writing or read her work at universities, such as NYU, Columbia and Emerson College.