Aria Watson hoped just one person would look at her introduction to photography college project entitled #SignedByTrump. Instead, the collection of images Watson took of women with President-elect Donald Trump’s misogynistic words scrolled across their bare bodies went viral overnight.

Watson, 18, who grew up in a small town in Oregon, never dreamed her project would gain so much support or traction across the country. She refers to herself as “a small Youtuber who sucks at posting” via Twitter. But the past few days Watson has made quite the impact.

Determined to share her project after its deletion from Facebook and Twitter, Watson posted #SignedByTrump to Tumblr, where the photos gained 80,000 notes almost instantaneously.

Image: Aria Watson

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She’s seen more support from the online community than she originally had from her professor at Clatsop Community College.

“When I told my professor I wanted to write quotes that Donald Trump said about women on naked women bodies. He told me that by the time the final was due, it wouldn’t be relevant anymore,” said Watson, of her professor who assumed, like many, thatHillary Clinton would win the presidency.   

But that didn’t stop her.

Image: Aria Watson

“I wanted not only my opinions to be heard, but the opinions of millions of people who felt the same way as me,” said Watson.  

So she collected women with a similar opinion, and painted the offensive words Trump has said over the years in black and red. The images expose the vulnerability of being a woman and the imprint hearing degrading rhetoric has on women in society.

Image: Aria Watson

“My heart broke … for all the women, the LGBT community members, for the minorities, for every race that isn’t white,” Watson said recounting when she found out Trump won.

Her hope for the project is that people see the images and also see in her eyes what kind of man Trump truly is.

Image: Aria Watson

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Watson’s photo are now available to view offline, too.

Image: Aria Watson

The photos of anonymous women with quotes from “Grab them by the pussy,” “Blood coming out of her wherever,” and “Must be a pretty picture, you dropping to your knees” and more are available in postcards, shirts, and totebags with 15% of sales going to the American Civil Liberties in Trump’s name.

Whether the words define Trump or not, they have impacted millions of men and women across the world. And with Watson’s project, Trump’s words are here to stay relevant both online and offline for a while longer.

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Demand Equity

Powerful #SignedByTrump Student Photography Project Goes Viral

By Meghan Werft