…I read this quote some days ago, when I was strolling up and down the street, trying to make up my mind, not really knowing where I was going. And honestly, it looked so obtrusive, written on this pale concrete wall in bold black letters that it made me almost automatically question it’s significance. Like, why did the person who did that feel the need to spray paint it on a public wall? Couldn’t he or she just have kept it for herself?
I couldn’t stop thinking about this matter and the urge of this person to share it with more or less the whole world, so when I got home (of course I had not managed to make up my mind, but I was freezing and my fingers and lips were already turning into a kind of blueish shade) I did a bit of research. The first “strong woman” that came to my mind was, quelle surprise, Michelle Obama. And well, I think in that respect we can all agree that she is indeed a strong woman behind a powerful man. Just think about it: Where would Mr Obama stand without her? Would he still be the president of the United States if Michelle didn’t exist? Well, we’ll never know, but it’s as clear as mud that his wife played an important role in his professional advancement, in fact she still does!
And in fact, we can extend this concept: Because there seems to be a second person somewhere behind every uhm, executor. That person is sometimes very obviously there and sometimes completely invisible. It seems that we humans are dependent on the help of other human beings, just as if living on this planet is such a demanding task that we cannot fulfil or complete it or whatever alone.
And then there was the Second World War. Men were fighting at the frontiers, while their wives stayed at home. And oh dear, without their wives, they would’ve been lost! Because they were the ones who were maintaining the life at home and did all those little necessities like cultivating the fields. Nobody sees that when we learn about the Second World War or wars in general. It’s always about those brave soldiers being brave at the frontiers, but it’s actually so much more than that!
I don’t know in how far you’re familiar with Helmut Newton and his wife June so this might be a bit out of nothing for some of you. But in my opinion they’re such a great couple. Not in that “Oh my god they’re so cute together, such goals” way, nah. It’s more like, they complete each other perfectly, it’s literally like two pieces of a puzzle that belong together, in several aspects. For a start, there’s again the strong woman behind the powerful man that June was without any doubt. When her husband’s career took off, she was the one who curated and edited his works, acted as art directress for most of his shoots, and continued to do so until Helmut’s death. On the other hand, they, as I already mentioned, completed each other in so many aspects. And this can be seen in both of their works, which contrast and simultaneously complement each other. In Helmut’s photographs, we experience his objects, mainly women, very superficial. We only see the outer husk of those people, just as if they were statues, very impersonal, maybe even hard to tell if there’s still somebody living inside that body or if it’s already dead. And then, very contrary to that, there are June’s photographs. Full of life, they actually do portray the person behind the body. Watching her pieces of work, we learn so much more about the life, the feelings, the character of those depicted people, it’s amazing.
So yes, there definitely is a strong woman behind every powerful man and now I totally understand why this person spray painted that quote in bold letters on that concrete wall. But it’s actually more than that: There is a person behind everyone, somebody who helps and supports us and at the same time, we are that strong person for somebody else.
Photography & Art Direction: Miro Arva
Styling: Mirae Padmaugris
Makeup: Morgane Latrace
Hair: Julie Guigourese
Model: Lenka Luptakova
Photo assistant: Li Ruotong
