Petra Collins

I think the gender norms of emotion are horrendous. Being masculine means showing zero emotions, but having the choice to be angry or depressed. Being female means you are one dimensional - if you show more than that, you are a psycho, hysterical, or historically, a witch.

You don't have to wait for anyone's approval to do things.

I really wanted to feel strong, I wanted my subjects to feel strong, but I didn't know how to do that. It's really hard for, I guess, every woman to not internalize misogyny. I just learned as I went on how to best capture my subjects without objectifying them.

There's definitely a romanticism of youth, like, everywhere. Specifically with women, they kind of only exist between the age of 15 to 25.

I love working in groups - I think it makes each individual more powerful.

I look for subjects who have stories to tell - who are looking to tell something.

When a woman is anything but pleasant, she is labeled as whiny, hysterical, etc.

I was very depressed at a young age and felt like I didn't have agency towards that. Being 'female' meant I couldn't be that - I couldn't be angry, loud, sullen. Being sad meant I was weak.

I get why feminism can be intimidating; sometimes it can seem like this exclusive club.

Live what you support online; do things.

People are always like, 'Did you purposely do something to make people uncomfortable?' And I say the reason why it's uncomfortable is because it's either something that we can't talk about or aren't supposed to talk about, and they're images that aren't ever seen.

I'm so pro-selfie because I think it's a tool that allows girls to create images of their own and of themselves.

The selfie is revolutionary to me. It is, I think, the only point in history where masses of young girls and women have been able to control, create, and publish images of themselves.

It's just so humanizing to see someone be real.

How girls perceive themselves is interesting, and how they act when they're looking in the mirror.

Occasionally, I'll wear glitter or blue eye shadow.

That's what I look for in models: Someone who can tell a story and has a presence in front of the camera.

Social media has been such a big important thing for young artists and minorities because it's a community to get noticed. It's having an audience that was never there before.

I'm very lucky that I'm not a photographer for hire - people hire me for me. I go into every commercial work with an art focus, with that lens; every brand I've worked for just lets me do whatever I want to do. I have full creative freedom.

It's very insulting when you're in charge and someone is talking down to you.