“ I am inspired by women all over the world.
They in turn have daughters who need to know that there are many avenues open to them and that they can be whatever they want to be and not be constrained by their sex.”
Role models inspire us, they force us to examine our own lives and appreciate that it is possible to achieve the things we dream of. Young girls especially need to feel that there are opportunities for them and that paths are not closed regardless of their background. They should be ambitious for great things and that doesn’t just mean being the Prime Minister, it means experiencing a sense of purpose, success and fulfillment in their lives.
A chance remark by a friend who was working as a teacher was the catalyst for Strong. She expressed her disappointment that so many of the girls she saw felt their only options were to become a beautician, a hairdresser or a nursery nurse. The aim of Strong is to show those girls, and so many others, there is plenty that they can achieve. Background, class, money or the fact that they are girls should not be a barrier.
“Words convey the story, photographs bring it to life.”
Emma was only the second ever female staff photographer for a tabloid newspaper and so role models were few when she stared out. But what great examples they were: Doreen Spooner, the first female staff photographer on a tabloid, Lee Miller the only woman combat photographer to cover the war in Europe and the first to enter Buchenwald and Dachau, are just two women whose achievements continue to encourage and motivate Emma throughout her career.
By inviting women who have earned success and respect to take part in the project, the hope is that Strong will enable us all to appreciate and admire what so many women have managed to achieve ass well as inspiring and motivating future generations.