Petra Collins Quotes

“You don't have to wait for anyone's approval to do things. You don't have to try to get a job and go through set steps before you start a career or start your life. That's what I want young girls to know - you can do anything you want. Just start.”

— Petra Collins

“It's one thing when you are photographing others, but when you are exposing yourself and your insecurities, that's the biggest risk. That's always scary.”

— Petra Collins

“We [photographers] have the tools and the power to create images - we should try to make them as truthful as possible.”

— Petra Collins

“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.”

— Petra Collins

With any medium you are working in, technical skills obviously help, but your mind is what you really need to expand. That is how you create work. That's the role of the artist - to change the way you view things.

— Petra Collins

To me, the point of feminism is to be inclusive.

— Petra Collins

“If a guy can't handle your natural hair, he's weak. Why waste time on someone like that? ...”

— Petra Collins

“Girls are taught to be so afraid to take up any "space," even with their own bodies, and hair is a part of that. I'm glad to not be a part of that!”

— Petra Collins

“I used to hate my hair. Now I love it. I spend hours brushing my hair out after it dries. I love it when it's big.”

— Petra Collins

“Even if I'm not so into the specific celebrities who are sharing images of themselves looking "bad," I think it's an amazing contribution to the conversations about beauty that we have online.”

— Petra Collins

“What's cool is when people send me messages or tag me in their photos, which definitely happens more after a project comes out. The best part, I think, is that the DMs and tags are always from young girls, and reaching them is the most important thing for me.”

— Petra Collins

“With feminism social media just opened up its boundaries even more. Now all these different tribes of women can connect with each other, and also find each other if they're not living in the same city, or even if they are but they're not friends with the same people!”

— Petra Collins

“I feel like fashion is becoming more inclusive, partly because the industry is finally getting that beauty exists in so many ways, and partly because thanks to Instagram, girls can create their own images, or remix images they're seeing in magazines and fashion shows, in ways that weren't possible before.”

— Petra Collins

“If a guy can't handle your crazy pictures, he's probably not someone you want in your life.”

— Petra Collins