Tatyana Fazlalizadeh facts for kids

Tatyana Fazlalizadeh (born in 1985) is an American artist and activist. She is also a freelance illustrator. She is most famous for creating the "Stop Telling Women to Smile" campaign. This project uses art to speak out against street harassment.

Her Early Life and Education

Tatyana Fazlalizadeh was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Her mom was an artist and art teacher. But Tatyana did not start making her own art until high school. She moved to Philadelphia to study at the University of the Arts. She graduated in 2007 with a degree in Fine Arts. Tatyana is of Black and Iranian descent.

Her Artistic Journey

What Kind of Art Does She Make?

Fazlalizadeh mainly uses oil paints in her art. Her paintings of Barack Obama were featured in a book. This book was called Art For Obama: Designing Manifest Hope and the Campaign for Change. It was put together by artist Shepard Fairey. Tatyana is best known for her "Stop Telling Women to Smile" project.

Besides oil painting, Fazlalizadeh also creates street art. Most of her public artworks are posters. These are like the ones you see in her "Stop Telling Women to Smile" campaign. Many of her public works are made to be temporary. They are put up with a special paste called wheatpaste. Over time, weather and other things make the posters fall apart. Because her art is in public places and often talks about important topics, it sometimes gets damaged by others.

The "Stop Telling Women to Smile" Project

In 2012, Fazlalizadeh became well-known. She started using street art to speak out against street harassment of women. Street harassment is when people say unwanted things or bother women in public. Her poster campaign, called Stop Telling Women to Smile (STWTS), was based on interviews. She talked to women about their experiences with public harassment.

How the Project Started

Each poster shows a portrait of a woman. It also has a message that responds to her experience. Messages include things like "My outfit is not an invitation" and "No, you can't talk to me for a minute." The campaign gives women a way to stand up against those who harass them.

The first "Stop Telling Me to Smile" posters were put up in Fazlalizadeh's neighborhood. This was in Brooklyn, New York City. Later, Fazlalizadeh successfully raised money through Kickstarter. This helped her bring "Stop Telling Women to Smile" posters to other cities across the United States.

Spreading the Message

In 2015, Fazlalizadeh took her project to Mexico. In April 2015, she created "International Wheat Pasting Day." This was another way to continue the "Stop Telling Women to Smile" campaign. For this event, people worked in groups of three. On April 17, 2015, they went out with images from Fazlalizadeh. They put up these artworks all over the world in different languages. People could also share their plans and what they did on the STWTS website. Through this project, Fazlalizadeh wanted her art and message to reach more people. She also wanted her supporters to be part of her work.

In 2020, a book was published called Stop Telling Women to Smile: Stories of Street Harassment and How We're Taking Back Our Power. This book shares the story of Fazlalizadeh's street art project. It includes parts of the original interviews and pictures from STWTS. The book shows how Fazlalizadeh creates her art. It also helps with important discussions about unfair treatment of women.

Art for Change: Recent Projects

After the 2016 United States presidential election, Fazlalizadeh wanted to create art in her home state of Oklahoma. Oklahoma has a history of supporting the Republican Party. Her artwork included text that said, "America is black. It is Native. It wears hijab. It is Spanish speaking tongue. It is migrant. It is a woman. Has been here. And it's not going anywhere." For Fazlalizadeh, the location of this art in Oklahoma was very important. This was because of the state's political past. Fazlalizadeh's art can also be seen in the Netflix TV series She's Gotta Have It.

In 2018, Fazlalizadeh was an artist in an event called "Beyond Social Practice." This took place at Project Row Houses in Houston. Her art display, "The Personal as Political," shared stories. These were from people who identify as Black, queer, and/or women. She used their stories to create political art.

In 2020, Fazlalizadeh made a series of murals in New York City. These murals featured portraits of Breonna Taylor, Atatiana Jefferson, Tony McDade, and Nina Pop. This was part of her work addressing unfair and harmful treatment based on race and gender identity.