• Originals
    • Categories
      • Gear
        • Forum
          • Picture of the Day
            • Contests
              • More
                • FS Gear Guide
                • Fstoppers T-shirts
              • Home
              • Advertise
              • Meet the Writers
              • Submit Content
              • Contact
              women forced to live as men
              women forced to live as men
              December 14, 2012
              Lauren Jonas

              Images of Women Forced To Live As Men

              Jill Peters’ project, Sworn Virgins of Albania features women who chose to live their entire lives as males in order to avoid the oppressive laws of the Kanun. In the Balkans, women are considered to be property of their husbands, which means women basically are not allow to do anything freely. The freedom to drive, earn their own money, drink, smoke or even swear are all foreign concepts to them. As young girls, they are forced to get married to much much older men. To fight this, they only had one option – to live their lives as men.

              Lumia2 Images of Women Forced To Live As Men

              jpeters7 468x710 Images of Women Forced To Live As Men

              jpeters6 464x710 Images of Women Forced To Live As Men

              jpeters4 472x710 Images of Women Forced To Live As Men

              jpeters2 470x710 Images of Women Forced To Live As Men

              jpeters 473x710 Images of Women Forced To Live As Men

              jpeter11 471x710 Images of Women Forced To Live As Men

              jp 471x710 Images of Women Forced To Live As Men

              Documentary
              Pictures
              Portraits
              « Amazing Wet Plate Photography By Mark Sink
              Using Cameras to Make Custom Music Through Heart Rate: PULSE »
              • http://twitter.com/michelobx Fly wit Me

                fascinating…

              • Mitja Schneehage

                my photography professor did the exact same project, one year earlier.
                http://www.pepahristova.com/sworn-virgins/1/

              • http://www.facebook.com/stanojevicbojan89 Bojan Stanojevic

                just dont be missinformed, this is only case in Albania, not the Balcans. Balcans are made up from many countries and none of them are treating women like this. Google before taking it seriously :)

              • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1103547156 Eric Mazzone

                This is NOT standard in the Balkans, only with the Albanian community.

              • Edward Carlile

                Should not reference the Balkans at all in this piece…..imagine you claimed that the national dish of the entire Europen region were snails and frogs legs! How accurate would that be?
                Hell, try a bit harder,will you?

              • http://profile.yahoo.com/UOKOESUCCL74CSO4WFJUCAQ5AI babo

                that hurts, considering Albania the oldest country in that reagion 

              • Dennis van den Eijnden

                and it looks like they shared a subject as well (with the cane)

              • Jernej Lasič

                Exactly. Don’t plant those kind of ideas into people’s minds. This is NOT the standard issue across the Balkans. Get your facts straight.

              • nmilasev

                “In America the people are called hillbillies  – they are the poor, ignorant, feuding family with a huge brood of children tending the family moonshine still.”
                How would you like this ‘explanation’? Ha?

              • http://profile.yahoo.com/EQ22TX7UA7JGCKIIUDNITDQWC4 B-lec

                a – Balkans men all treat/ed women the same
                b – Albanian sworn virgins took up the role of men not in order to escape the Kanun (because the Kanun actually had laws to protect women – don’t forget this was back in the 15th century), but they took up this role to protect their family when there was no male heir.

              • thepraetorian

                “In the Balkans, women are considered to be property of their husbands, which means women basically are not allow to do anything freely. The freedom to drive, earn their own money, drink, smoke or even swear are all foreign concepts to them. As young girls, they are forced to get married to much much older men.”

                Clearly Jill Peters does not know what she is talking about. The latest in a long line of “journalists” and “artists” to treat the Balkans as an exotic place far removed from the modern world. These statements may have been historically true, but any short visit to any Balkan country would inform you that they are not now.

                And the sworn virgins became so when their fathers died and they were the only ones left to take care of the family. Not to escape the Kanun, this was something sanctioned in the Kanun.

              • Fioralba Duma

                There is the case of bosnia too. And this is a phenomenon very ancient and now disappearing, because the modernity let the woman to dress, talk and smoke like a man so… This phenomenon, for whom don’t understand, is a way to emancipate and to be free. Is like a transgender ante litteram… Any problems? And these woman are very respected and Albanians are proud of them! Don’t judge!

              • Fioralba Duma

                This is not a standard! This is an exception in the albanian community too, but it isn’t a very ancient tradition to emancipate woman.

              • Fioralba Duma

                Right!

              • Connect with Fstoppers
                Follow @Fstoppers
              • Fstoppers Originals
              • Popular Articles
                • 24 Animated Gifs of Celebrities Before and After Retouching
                • 10 Photographers to Look to for Inspiration
                • 'World's Best Father' Captures Creative Portraits of His Daughter's Childhood
                • Lindsay Adler Shows a Creative Way Of Using a Window As a Light Source
                • What A Week Of Groceries Looks Like Around The World
                • Mobile Apps Essential to Your Photo Business
                • Sofles Infinite - Hyper Time Lapse Music Video Through Abandoned Buildings
                • So You Want To Make A Professional Looking Print Photography Portfolio
                • LED or Flash? Which is right for you?
                • Adobe Photoshop CC is Now Available For Download
                • Joey L. Creates Indoor Blizzard For Unique Portraits
                • Behind the Scenes - Capturing a World Record Speed Attempt with Phase One
                • Use Your Tripod to Create Video That Looks Like You Used a Slider
              • Recent Comments
                • Seagram Pearce said My gran always told me, KISS: Keep It Simple Silly! (the gran-friendlier version) »
                • jorgetamez said There's quite a number of settings to mess with, none too explicit on what they do... there's also the 'a »
                • Zach Sutton Photography said Vista is 6 years old at this point, and XP is 12 years old.What did you expect? They can't support old »
                • Lance Keimig said meh »
                • Aaron Lindberg said I will have to read The Devil Came On Horseback book now, thanks for sharing. »
                • Fernando Castillo said I would have loved o buy your DVD but, I too have a wedding business in Guadalajara, Mexico and the Tax p »
                • Tony Guillaro said This is such BS for the people who bought the complete suit and now we can't get any of the new ...Freaki »
                • Kyle Sanders said The Devil Came On Horseback was a book (and film) that transformed my personal views on photography. Comi »
              • Support Fstoppers
                current nikon rebates deals
              • FS Originals
              • Here I Am: The Story of Tim Hetherington, War Photographer
              • 10 Photographers to Look to for Inspiration
              • 1000 Miles, 100 Days: One Photographer’s Journey
              • $5 Fixes For Your Food Photography
              • Final Release of Adobe Lightroom 5 is Available Now
              • Categories
              • Commercial
              • Video
              • Gear
              • Location
              • Strobe Light
              • Contests
              • Win a 30x40 Print
              • Alien Skin Retouch Contest
              • Win the Art Behind the Headshot
              • Black Rapid Contest
              • Win a Lowepro Bag
              • Random Posts
              • “Take My Picture” How Fashion Photography Has Changed
              • FS Weekly News #3: The Week’s Best Photo/Video Related Stories
              • [News] See How Easily Your Camera Bag Can Be Stolen
              • Photographer Travels To The Most Remote Part Of The World To Give Away A Portrait
              • Historical Figures Recreated Using Random Postcards
              • Picture of the Day
              • Inner Child
              • Chase Tower
              • Christine
              • Keep Swimming
              • Fire and Ice
              • Home
              • Advertise
              • Meet the Writers
              • Submit Content
              • Contact
              • Sitemap
              © Fstoppers
              Made by Novum