Karmenife Paulino was raped in the basement of a frat house at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut her freshman year. From that moment, she spent an exorbitant amount of time doing what she could to get her attacker removed from campus. She filed reports and attended hearings for two years until her junior year when he was finally expelled. Now, at 22 years old, she is quite literally asserting dominance over the place and the man who had power over her all this time.
Paulino and photographer Tess Altman created a photoshoot called “Reclamation Project” in which she was able to reclaim her power. Paulino dressed as a dominatrix while male models wore leashes, ball gags, and tank tops donning the words “Frat Filth,” in front of the house where she was assaulted.
Some of the photos may be a little uncomfortable, but so is the conversation surrounding sexual assault.
Paulino told Mic:
“There’s something really powerful and beautiful about dominatrixes and just to be in front of these frat houses and to have these models kissing my feet and worshiping me — there’s an element of humor to it.”
It’s unclear which house Paulino was assaulted in, but Mic reports that one of the houses photographed was the scene of the crime. The only house letters we see are Delta Kappa Epsilon. The other identifying feature of a house is the address “184.”
“I needed to take these spaces that had so much power over me, over my community, over everything, and then have that power completely switched and have it rest on my shoulders.”
I reckon the Greek community at Wesleyan isn’t too happy about this. It’s got to suck for your house to be associated with rape if you’re not guilty of rape. But at the same time, it’s a positive thing for victims to reclaim power over their rapists.
To view the full gallery, click here..
[via Mic]
Images via Tess Altman, Reclamation Project
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Veronica Ruckh
Veronica (@VeronicaRuckh) is the Director of Total Sorority Move for Grandex, Inc. After having spent her undergraduate years drinking $4 double LITs on a patio and drunk texting away potential suitors, she managed to graduate with an impressive GPA and an unimpressive engagement ring -- so unimpressive, in fact, some might say it's not there at all. Veronica has since been fulfilling her duties as "America's big," a title she gave to herself with the help of her giant ego. She has recently switched from vodka to wine on weekdays. Email her at veronica@grandex.co
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