This past Friday night Jessica Yatrofsky hosted a book release party at Powerhouse Arena in Brooklyn for her new photography book, I <3 Girl. From 7pm until 9pm people flooded Powerhouse Arena to check out I <3 Girl and to meet the author. An open bar stocked with white wine and PBR beer was the culprit for all of the tipsy smiles and impromptu eclectic dancing. Alees Yvon DJed the party and played a range of top 40 tunes, hip hop and some older throw back jams that guests dancing all around the bookstore. All night music played loudly in the background while guests flipped through copies of I <3 Girl on a merch table complete with flyers and stickers featuring the cover photo of I <3 Girl. Many of the models in I <3 Girl came out to the book release party to support and celebrate with Yatrofsky. Contessa Stuto (Cuntmafia) performed towards the end of the party and slayed the audience with her rap skills. Stuto was showered with applause and hoots and hollers after she finished rapping.
Yatrofsky’s photography is a candid look at gender and femininity, and destroys the mass media’s stereotypical image of queer women. The photos range from one-page headshots to full-length body shots over a two-page spread; some are completely nude, some are only partially nude, and others are fully clothed. Each model is different than the last and they all redefine femininity and challenge gender role stereotypes.
The models were all friends of Yatrofsky and volunteered to be a part of I <3 Girl and chose what or what not to wear for the shoot. Yatrofsky tastefully utilizes nudity to explore gender and femininity in a refreshingly genuine, non-misogynist, nor exploitative, presentation.
Before I <3 Girl was published by Powerhouse Books Yatrofsky started with I <3 Boy and explored male nudity as a precursor to discussing female nudity. “I decided to publish I <3 Boy first because at the time I was working with a lot of male subjects and I was exploring male nudity and male sexuality and our experience with male nudity…” explained Yatrofsky. “But if you look at the books side by side its really the same work, we’re really talking about the body, we’re talking about gender, the human form, and you’re really looking at vulnerability in both series, which is why I view them as chapters.” Yatrofsky sees the I <3 Girl & I <3 Boy books as an on going series so we can definitely expect more raw work from Yatrofsky in the near future.
For more information please visit powerhousebooks.com/books/i-heart-girl/
