Howard Schatz
冒頭の女性たちは、身長も体重も人種もプロポーションも非常に多様だ。
共通しているのは、彼女たちが全員、プロフェッショナルなアスリートであり、身体能力的にもピークにある点だ。
写真家ハワード・シャッツ氏が撮影したこれらの写真は、同氏が2002年に出した写真集『アスリート』に掲載されているが、最近ネットで再び人気を呼んだ。
シャッツ氏はこの写真集のために、女性と男性を合わせて数百人にのぼるアスリートたちと語り、撮影を行ったという。そして、そのインタビューから、女性アスリートは男性アスリートとまったく同じように、その人生を「勝つこと」のために集中させていることがわかったという。
唯一の違いは「子供をどうするか」だった。多くの女性アスリートは、身体能力が頂点を過ぎてから子供を持つという選択をしているのだという。対して男性アスリートの場合は、子供や家庭をもつことが自分の目標に悪影響を持たないようだ、とシャッツ氏は語る。
このプロジェクトを通して、シャッツ氏は被写体となってくれたアスリートたちに畏敬の念を持ち続けたという。「集中、決意、競争、目標の追求といったものに性別は関係ない」
シャッツ氏の最新写真集は、俳優たちをテーマにした「Caught In The Act」だ。
[ Nina Bahadur (English) 日本語版：ガリレオ]
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