Julie’s Story

I was sent the link to The Julie Project a week or more ago and had half decided not to post on it. Then as the days went by the images and the story kept coming back to me. Disturbing images of a woman going down, down and down. And images of her children too. As Darcy Padilla says below, I hope you can’t stop thinking about Julie’s story. In my case her work has succeeded.

The purpose of the project is to take the disparate arguments about welfare, poverty,family rights, AIDS, drug and sexual abuse by looking at one person’s life, Julie.

Julie’s story matters and should make a difference to us the viewer in our
understanding of the fractured world that many poor people struggle to exist in.

As a friend said, “I realize this type of story plays out constantly in the world for many, many families. The pieces slip away or no one cares to remember the details. We see the summation of cause and effect in a homeless face on the street every day. It can be too complicated, uncomfortable and painful to ask why.”

I hope you can’t stop thinking about Julie’s story, I hope it makes you feel.
I hope it makes you look at the world differently.

The Julie Project.

Thanks to J for the link.

The Guardian On-Line Review of Darcy Padilla’s Julie Project – when photography becomes humanitarian.

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2 thoughts on “Julie’s Story”

  1. Julie’s story really struck a note with me, it seems so much of it is about choice and the ability to realise one has a choice and the conditions and strength to make that choice. Of course without education, or awareness of choice it’s all pretty limited anyway. So easy to see someone in her state and wander why she didn’t make those choices that she clearly wanted to, but more pertinent to realise one’s own resistance to making that choice.

    There’s also something really basic about early childhood environments, I too was brought up in abusive one but it was only emotional and physical abuse which seemed more escape-able and less intense, plus there was also love too. Something about sexual abuse naturally seems to take away the innocence of a child so much more directly. One feels for anyone brought up in that environment where the parent’s own experience of choice is so limited – ever ongoing I imagine until the karma works out.

    Not putting this at all succinctly and these comments are meant with great love for all involved. I obviously include myself at the forefront of all “not able to make choice” related comments.

    Thank you.

  2. Rachael, thanks for leaving this comment and so sorry not to have responded. As you may guess I have been a bit involved. Yes, and I am sure your comments are indeed taken with love for all involved. As for choice, well there is something to ponder on. But sadly not here, not right now.

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