I was traveling with students in Barcelona, walking through the famous street La Rambla, when I noticed two guys making fun of me. I could see them in the reflection of a mirrored building, making gestures with their hands to suggest how much bigger I was than the thin girl standing next to me. They painted her figure in the air like an hourglass. Then they painted my shape like a ball. They were saying something, too, but there was only one word I could make out: Gorda. Fat woman.
I've been hearing comments like this for much all my life. Maybe someone else would have yelled at them, or shrunk inside. But I don't get upset when this happens.
I pulled out my camera, and set up a shoot.
I suspect that if I met with these narrow-minded people, my words would have no effect. So, rather than using the attackers' actions to beat myself up, I just prove them wrong. The camera gave me my voice.
For about a year, I'd been taking pictures of strangers' reactions to me in public for a series I called "Wait Watchers." My goal is to capture a wide range of social groups so I travel as much as I can. I've photographed in Spain, Peru, Chicago, New York and Memphis. I set up my camera in plain sight on a tripod(三脚架)or bench, or an assistant will take hundreds of photographs in several minutes. I then comb the images to see if I captured a reaction.
And I don't get hurt when I look at the images. I feel like I am pushing the stare back on to them to let people see their stare. I'm fine with who I am and don't need anyone's approval to live my life. I only get angry when I hear someone comment about my weight but I don't get the shot.
Since the project started getting media attention, I've received hundreds of emails from people thanking me. There are so many people in the world who feel they have the right to criticize someone for the way they look. I got an email from a 15-year-old girl in Belgium who said my images made her-feel better and not care about what others think. "That made me proud. As for what the images mean, viewers may interpret the images as they see fit. I'm just trying to start a conversation.
【小题1】Where were the two guys when the author noticed them?| A．Outside the building. | B．On the top of the building. |
| C．Next to a mirror in the building. | D．In front of a mirror in the building. |
| A．Pictures of strangers. | B．Pictures of social groups. |
| C．Reactions to her from students. | D．Reactions to her from various people. |
| A．She pays no attention to what others think about. |
| B．She is often made fun of for her appearance. |
| C．She realizes her making fun of others is wrong. |
| D．She is beginning to feel proud of her appearance. |
| A．Upset. | B．Guilty. | C．Unlucky. | D．Confident. |
