CHALLENGING FEMALE STEREOTYPES When Rudya founded the Bell Collective, she had a clear view of the future of the photography industry: “I created Bell Collective because I saw that women creators were misrepresented on social media. Women were seen as muses and models rather than adventurers, explorers, and artists. I wanted to create a collective of female photographers who show the world through their perspective and have a different angle on what traveling means.” The idea is to use visual storytelling to challenge stereotypes about female travel and creative choices. In a male-dominated creative world, women often face issues regarding access to the industry and representation. Rudya explains the importance of having female representation in the industry: “Since the majority of photographers and creators in the journalistic, editorial, and commercial area are still men, we are often faced with the male gaze and lack of representation in advertisement, both in the creative teams & final product. Showcasing female creators and working with female & non- binary teams on commercial projects helps to balance the scene & show different areas of interest, life, and expertise.” stereotypes, and for Rudya, it is vital to showcase women who are strong, adventurous, fierce, and who challenge the idea of the fragile woman. “Role models are important for younger girls who are standing before a career choice, and seeing professional women who do not follow the established gender stereotypes will help to encourage the young generation to think out of the box, follow their true passion without a fear of being judged, and fix the imbalance in many professional fields.” The girls and women of tomorrow should get to experience a world free of imposed identities and
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