Yesterday was the launch of a new and ongoing illustration series called The Women Warriors Project.
This is a project that I think is very important for a few reasons.
- Most history books and classes don’t really talk about women in general, much less women who fought in wars or were warriors in some capacity. It’s a shame because these women’s stories can add richness and depth to historical events that otherwise can be simplified into “good vs. evil” or some other dichotomy (I’m looking at you, World War II).
- When I was a little girl growing up in a rural Ohio town, I wanted to hear more stories and read more histories about girls and women being heroes or being fighters because I wanted to be brave like they were. Everyone was telling stories with boys in the lead, whether it was Napoleon, Goku, or Huckleberry Finn. But I wanted to hear more about the Paper Bag Princesses, or the Polgara the Sorceresses, or the Cimorenes. Sure they existed, but there weren’t enough and they were hard to find.
- I wanted to make a resource for those girls that are around today, who want to know the stories of real warrior women of the past like I did when I was a kid. Whether it’s for a book report or because you just really like badass women fighters, I wanted this project to be a source, a starting point, to get to know these historical women better.
In this project, I am doing my best to reference as many books and articles as possible to tell these stories and be historically accurate. However, I also recognize that this will be difficult because there aren’t too many books about women’s history that are available and accessible to the public.
The other problem that exists is that there are many women whose histories are not written down or recorded, or worse, their histories were changed by an outside perspective. This can make retelling the histories, even briefly, very challenging. But the challenge is accepted!
The books and articles I do use are going to be relevant and as accessible as possible to you, the reader, so you can read more about these awesome ladies.
This project is a jumping off point for research. It is by no means everything and every detail about the histories of these women. You are encouraged to read more about these women (as you should) and make your own conclusions about their achievements.
So who counts as a Woman Warrior?
I’m looking specifically for women (even trans women, if I can find them) who have participated in a war, battle, or revolution as a fighter and combatant. I’m also looking for women and trans women who are martial arts experts who have made a mark in history.
How often will it update with a new featured woman?
Right now, I’m planning on weekly updates every Monday, with each update on the Tumblr Page.
How long will the project last?
Into perpetuity! There are so many women warriors who deserve to be talked about that, at least at the moment, there’s no set finish line for this project.
Can other artists contribute to this project?
Eventually! I just started this recently, but in the future I’ll be looking for volunteers who want and are able to make art for this project. I’ll be making announcements when that time comes!
I’m not an artist, but how can I help?
Just reblogging or sharing posts with your friends, on Facebook and Twitter, and other sites helps out immensely. Also, try to keep any discussions that happen positive (I’m aware that there are minority groups that will try to put down this project. What they need is an education on what being a badass really means ;D).
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this project!