Tatyana Fazlalizadeh Wants You To Stop Telling Women To Smile

WAMU 88.5 | By Stacia Brown

Published February 18, 2020 at 3:32 PM CST

Mural artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh speaks at the Trayvon Martin Mural Unveiling in New York City.

At one point in her career, artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh was known mostly for her oil paintings.

But after she started to create public art, she began to believe that it could be a powerful tool to reduce street harassment.

One of Tatyana Fazlalizadeh’s pieces from “Stop Telling Women to Smile.”

Beth Parker PR

She began working on an art series entitled Stop Telling Women to Smile (STWTS) in 2012. It’s an ongoing series of pieces that have spanned many cities and collaborations with other artists.

Now, she’s written a book, expanding on her work on STWTS.

Another of Tatyana Fazlalizadeh’s pieces, as seen from the street.

Beth Parker PR

What inspires her now? And what does she plan to do next?

See more of “Stop Telling Women To Smile” and more notes from this

@fazlalizadeh responds to a listener who says that she understands that people who call to her on the street are complimenting her.

“I would say yes, perhaps they’re paying her a compliment. But I also understand the difference between those compliments and harassment.” pic.twitter.com/jB4TcWftFR

— 1A (@1a) February 19, 2020

A previous version of this post misspelled Ms. Fazlalizadeh’s name incorrectly. We regret the error.