Sometimes murals are used to inspire and create safe spaces — that was the case with this piece, “Girls just wanna be safe”. Painted on a street notorious for cat-calling, sexual harassment, and gender-based aggression, this mural was developed and painted to help the community “walk a mile in her shoes”. Illustrations of the various tools of self-defense used by women, including pepper spray, house keys, knuckles, whistles, and other loud noise-making alarm devices, line the brick wall of this stressful street to remind passersby of the reality women face every day they walk that same sidewalk. Meant to invoke a sense of compassion for the ladies of their community, the hope is that these graphic illustrations will encourage those unaffected by this gender-based violence to think twice about their own actions, hold others accountable for their behavior, and stand up for those who do experience this threat if and when the time comes.

We decided that for this important message of community comradery support and solidarity that simple was best, so we kept it graphic, using minimal, contrasting colors, keeping the focus on the content, leaning heavily into a bold illustrative style. To really drive the message home we included the phrase “girls just wanna be safe” on a heart shaped key ring, a play on of the familiar “girls just wanna have fun”. Women and girls walking by express recognition and a feeling of being seen in their daily struggle for safety and security in their own community — the place they call home.