Breaking Beautiful was my first organized effort to advocate for myself and other women. Throughout girlhood, I had received the message that beauty should look a certain way from the media and society. My hair, my body, my skin were all an affront to this standardized definition. As I looked around my college campus, I saw a world of beauty to be celebrated. My intention with this portrait series was to reclaim our power as women to define beauty for ourselves and to give voice to the uniqueness of each individual.

My name is Emerald Green and I am a photographer in Atlanta, GA. My submissions include images of women throughout the 2020 protests that were held throughout GA as well as Louisville, KY. I thought about what was asked of me, about me telling about myself and my work. While I was at different protests, I saw that there were only white men who were capturing moments.

Authors usually choose what topic they’re going to study, especially a topic that will consume their energy for years. But sometimes the reverse occurs. Sometimes the topic chooses the author.