MiddleWomen.com
by Rebecca Rivero
I had launched middle-women.tumblr.com on April 14, 2012 (the idea was hatched on April 11th) and as the numbers started to grow with the blog I started thinking about what else I could do with Middle Women. I knew that I was making an impact with the photos, but I wanted to do more, I wanted to connect people with resources! With the help of some brilliant people (namely Tiffany Law among others) I started really putting my energy into what it would take to launch a website. I looked up how much it would cost and how I could build it.
In July of 2012 I traveled to San Francisco for a sustainable design class and on my way home I met a woman that really made MiddleWomen.com happen. I was sitting next to her on the plane and we got to chatting when she asked me what I did. I told her that I was a student and then hesitated to tell her about Middle Women. She said she was 85 or 87, couldn’t remember and I was worried that she would get offended about the nude photos which were a large part of the project back then. My mom was and still is worried about too many people knowing that there are nude photos online of me. I thought about it for a second and realizing that I would never see her again, I told her that I had recently started a female body empowerment project. I told her about the blog, the photos, everything. She beamed at me. She loved every bit of what I said and told me that I was doing great things, that she was proud of me and that her granddaughters especially needed Middle Women. She asked me what I wanted to do next and I told her about the website. We talked about what I wanted to do, how I wanted it to be a safe space and a place for people to find help when they needed it. We would also share our original work there.
After some brainstorming she asked how much it would cost to launch the site and I said $16.00 a year. She pulled out her wallet and handed me a $20.00. She said to go start it and keep going with my plans.
She gave me her contact information, which I put in the book I was reading. On the next leg of my trip both the book and contact information went missing. I have no way of thanking her, but the Middle Women team did launch the website and I hope she sees it one day. Also, I didn’t actually spend her $20.00, I still have it as a reminder that there are people who believe in my mission.
Thank you woman on the plane and to everyone else who has helped make Middle Women a reality!
In July of 2012 I traveled to San Francisco for a sustainable design class and on my way home I met a woman that really made MiddleWomen.com happen. I was sitting next to her on the plane and we got to chatting when she asked me what I did. I told her that I was a student and then hesitated to tell her about Middle Women. She said she was 85 or 87, couldn’t remember and I was worried that she would get offended about the nude photos which were a large part of the project back then. My mom was and still is worried about too many people knowing that there are nude photos online of me. I thought about it for a second and realizing that I would never see her again, I told her that I had recently started a female body empowerment project. I told her about the blog, the photos, everything. She beamed at me. She loved every bit of what I said and told me that I was doing great things, that she was proud of me and that her granddaughters especially needed Middle Women. She asked me what I wanted to do next and I told her about the website. We talked about what I wanted to do, how I wanted it to be a safe space and a place for people to find help when they needed it. We would also share our original work there.
After some brainstorming she asked how much it would cost to launch the site and I said $16.00 a year. She pulled out her wallet and handed me a $20.00. She said to go start it and keep going with my plans.
She gave me her contact information, which I put in the book I was reading. On the next leg of my trip both the book and contact information went missing. I have no way of thanking her, but the Middle Women team did launch the website and I hope she sees it one day. Also, I didn’t actually spend her $20.00, I still have it as a reminder that there are people who believe in my mission.
Thank you woman on the plane and to everyone else who has helped make Middle Women a reality!