The Good Men Project

Can 100 Naked Women Protesters Teach the RNC—and Men in General—Anything?

the Editors

The party of the Great Orange One was supposed to get a dose of reality, natural beauty, and a protest statement when, on July 17th, Spencer Tunick’s “Everything She Says Means Everything” (#EverythingSheSaysMeansEverything) had 100 naked women posed with mirrors “reflecting the knowledge and wisdom of progressive women and the concept of “Mother Nature”” into and onto the Cleveland, Ohio convention center, cityscape and horizon.

The philosophy of the artwork “relates to the idea of the sacred feminine.” By holding mirrors, the women, who were part of ongoing art installments around the world, were “a reflection and embodiment of nature, the sun, the sky and the land. We want to express the belief that we will rely upon the strength, intuition and wisdom of progressive and enlightened women to find our place in nature and to regain the balance within it. The mirrors communicate that we are a reflection of ourselves, each other, and of, the world that surrounds us. The woman becomes the future and the future becomes the woman.”

Did the Party of “Double Down” ignorance, including anti-choice VP-pick “Periods for Pence” Gov. Mike Pence get it, or even care?

It might not matter.

Ohio resident Deanna Bergdorf published a Facebook note processing the experience (see below), “I fought to hold in my tears as [Tunick] explained that we were gathered together to make a statement against the rhetoric of hatred that’s being spewed out from the Republican party; against the misogynistic, xenophobic, racist, anti-LGBTQ, ableist platform that has defined hating others as an acceptable American lifestyle.”

“This is for you and this is for our future,” Tunick tells the women. “We will shine your light and power onto the RNC. We’re going to shine the light of women into this arena.”

Over 1800 women signed up for the 100 spaces to bare all in this heightened arena of politics and protest and this number alone is a testament to their bravery and desire for change. They did not know where they were going to pose when they signed up to be part of this art action, it could have been in the epicenter of the security zone, but they still wanted to participate. Our concept was for 100 women to pose with 100 mirrors. Our location was secret to keep the women safe and would only allow for a small number of participants. But 1800 women would have shown up naked in front on the steps of the convention to make art with what may be the most controversial subject in this presidential race, a woman’s body. (source: Spencer Tunick)

Tunick has been planning this particular one for three years.

“This 65-and-a-half-year-old Jewish grandma wants to take the best picture I’ve ever taken,” says Cleveland native Marsha Besunera Klausner, who arrived wearing an American flag pin and patriotic bandana.

Cathy Scott, a Republican, said being there was a message directly aimed at “Donald Trump..(he) has said so many outrageous, hateful, inflammatory things..he underestimated his female, Republican vote. I feel like he shot himself in the foot a little bit. I don’t think he knows there’s a black, single, 35-year-old mom, like me, who is listening to what he’s saying. I don’t think he knows I’m in his political party—and that’s unfortunate.”

“For me, it’s less about Trump and more about creating positive energy around the RNC and to create light where there maybe isn’t as much,” says Sabrina Paskewitz, 23, a student who’s done nude modeling.

(Sources: Elle Magazine, Spencer Tunick, Facebook)
Photos: Lindsey Byrnes
See more than 13 of Tunick’s installments here.

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