The Misunderstood Women Project began in 2018 when I was deeply moved by Dr. Christine Ford’s testimony regarding the sexual assault she experienced at the hands of Brett Kavanaugh, and outraged at the line of cynical and demeaning questioning by some members of  the judiciary committee. I was also shocked to find some men and women close to me had little understanding of why Dr. Ford would choose to remain silent about events from her youth and only years later feel compelled to reveal them publicly. 

I began to explore how women are so often misunderstood and to think about how our culture has framed women as willing participants or instigators who deserve the injustices and, in many cases, criminal acts perpetrated upon them.

It's clear that advancements for women rest uneasily on unexamined and inherited assumptions. The age-old patterns of subordination are reflected in popular culture, literature, art, politics, law, myth and religion, and pervade every aspect of life.

This project seeks to cast a light on some of unexplored ideas about women that deeply influence the foundational thought process and emotional undercurrent of society. Gender prejudice is camouflaged along with the myriad bigotries that go unnoticed in our hearts and minds. By looking at individual women we hopefully see a universal and intersectional portrait. Some are historic and public and true, some are mythological and metaphorical and also true. 

This project is not about the systemic oppression of women, though that is obvious and adjacent. It is not about the Me Too Movement, though “Me Too” echoes throughout. 

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It is not a men vs. women project. It's about compassion vs. indifference, discernment vs. disunity, empathy vs. apathy, appreciation vs. intolerance, respect vs. chauvinism.