You've probably heard the stereotype that people in Texas are gun-crazy, but for the women in Shelley Calton's "Concealed: She's Got a Gun" series, it's less of a stereotype and more of a way of life that they proudly represent. The Second Amendment will always be a touchy subject for a lot of people, but the face of the pro-gun movement has always been white and male. Calton's series provides a different narrative than we are used to, and that narrative is very complex.
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In an artist's statement on her website, Calton writes that "growing up in Houston was synonymous with an induction into Texas gun culture." The 55-year-old photographer wanted to explore the significance of the concealed weapons for women in Texas and found that the owners had diverse backgrounds and also owned the weapons for different reasons, not just because they are Texans and were born with them.
"Often these women are unassuming and unexpected," she writes, "a young mother with her baby at the grocery store checkout counter, a grandmother walking her dog, or perhaps a woman in the parking space next to you at the shopping mall. My photographs showcase the diversity of this population. However, I found a commonality in their response to the question “are you prepared to pull the trigger to protect yourself or your loved ones?” The answer from the women in this collection of portraits is a resounding "yes."
To see more of the photo series, click through to Calton's website.
[via Fast Co Design]
