Quotes from Petra Collins

There's definitely a romanticism of youth, like, everywhere. Specifically with women, they kind of only exist between the age of 15 to 25.

People are always like, 'Did you purposely do something to make people uncomfortable?' And I say the reason why it's uncomfortable is because it's either something that we can't talk about or aren't supposed to talk about, and they're images that aren't ever seen.

I think anytime you can share images that make young women feel a sense of belonging when they might not be feeling their best or their strongest is so cool.

We have this weird beauty standard where women, like, shouldn't grow: what we think is feminine is often what is also pre-pubescent.

Occasionally, I'll wear glitter or blue eye shadow.

My mind is changing all the time. I can't live in a space that has a fixed aesthetic. I just need a blank slate when I come home.

Oh my God. Brian De Palma. I love him.

I post all the time anyway. It's part of who I am. There's me IRL. There's me URL. That's just my life. Plus, I love it. It's amazing to connect with so many people.

I just think it's crazy that we don't think that the youth are valid. They're the ones who really know what's going on.

My favorite place to go is Zabriskie Point in Death Valley. If you see it at sunrise and sunset, it's like you're on Mars.

I consider myself endlessly lucky to have access to the Internet and technology. Through it, I've found myself and have been able to join a new discourse of females, young and old, who strive to change the way we look and treat ourselves.

I don't know what I would've done without it. I really struggled in school with reading and writing. Art was my refuge - my way of speaking, of dealing with my own issues and connecting with the world.

Art was - and is - my biggest outlet. I'd probably die if I didn't do it.

I look for subjects who have stories to tell - who are looking to tell something.

I really wanted to feel strong, I wanted my subjects to feel strong, but I didn't know how to do that. It's really hard for, I guess, every woman to not internalize misogyny. I just learned as I went on how to best capture my subjects without objectifying them.

You don't have to wait for anyone's approval to do things.

I want people to see themselves in a person. I never want someone to aspire to be someone else.

Everyone has a mirror face that's so different from their natural face. And I think it's interesting, seeing the way people want to be viewed when they're putting themselves together.

We live in such an image-heavy world that not seeing yourself in that landscape can really make it tough to feel human, to feel like you are part of the world.

I wish I didn't think about what my body looks like. It can be done - it's just a long process.

I'm either working or I'm lying in bed the entire day.