Coming Out of Rie’s Closet
Over the years, Rie Rasmussen has transitioned from posing in front of the lens as a model and muse, to working behind it, as an artist, photographer, and outspoken voice for female empowerment. In her latest project “Coming Out of Rie’s Closet,” Ramussen turns the paradigm of the frail femme on its head, using her girlfriend and former dancer Stephanie Moore as a subject. In the photo series, Moore dons some of Rasmussen’s most-beloved items from her personal fashion archive. Here, the artist gives insight into her newest work.
“My one reason for shooting is my message: Don’t raise good girls, raise strong women.”
“Each pose should have a little something.”
“I pushed the dress into the crack of her ass, so it has that old Roman, very erotic feel to it. It’s an empowered sexuality.”
“When Stella McCartney was at Chloé, she was loud. These pants were everything to me when I was 20 years old. I felt fearless in them.”
“I remember this Prada dress—I would walk around in New York completely topless. It reminds me how disrupted female sexuality is in reality. People stare. It’s like wearing couture to the supermarket.”
“Portraying a weak woman does not interest me. She should be convincing in her strength.”
“I found this incredible garden in L.A. where there are shadows all day. It’s my new favorite place to shoot. I like the way the shadows become a metaphor for the forces that eclipse us.”
“I love for the girls to give an expression—it gives the shot more depth.”
