The Girls Who Spun Gold
© Nydia Blas
In the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, we are more aware of the country’s racial divide than ever. We are also more aware of the setbacks black people have had to face. In the United States, black individuals are severely marginalized because of their race. They are more subject to police brutality, poverty, and unemployment simply because of the color of their skin. As a black woman, photographer Nydia Blas has become an advocate for the black community and creates her work through her black feminist lens. Her work strives to speak to the hardships black people face and the empowerment she wants to give them.
Blas worked to give a platform for young black women to express their sexuality in her series entitled “The Girls Who Spun Gold.” She also wanted to improve her community for women like herself: In 2011, Blas created a female empowerment group at the Southside Community Center in her hometown of Ithaca, New York. There, she met other women who had experienced hardships like her because of their race and gender. As the group became close, Blas came up with the idea to photograph these women, showing them in the powerful light she knew them in: owning their sexual experiences and identity. In her series, Blas wanted to show that there was a difference between fetishizing women and allowing them to express themselves sexually; she wanted the images to be true to who they were.
© Nydia Blas
Each image depicts these women in their most intimate moments, discovering themselves as sexual beings in new ways. One woman is pictured in a chair, holding a hand mirror to her crotch as she looks down at the reflection. Another photograph depicts two women, one blowing a gust of smoke into the other’s mouth. Women are often discouraged and taught to be ashamed of their sexuality or to hide it. Here, Blas empowers women to not be ashamed of their bodies or experiences.
© Nydai Blas
There is magic evident in every photograph. In one image in particular, a woman closes her eyes as she is enveloped in sparkling gold. These are not crude images that are meant to be sexualized. Each woman is painted in a beautiful light, celebrated for her sexual awakening. Blas believes there is power in magic. To deal with issues like race and equality and not give into the sexists or racists, you have to hold onto the belief that the magic still exists. Once one stops believing in magic, that is when the fight is gone. Blas uses this magical outlook in every photograph in her series; each woman is their own piece of artwork, spun with gold.
You can view more of Nydia Blas’ work here.
@ Nydia Blas
