Activist confronts GBV through visual activism

Eugenia Moche

Founder of Victims To Survivors (VTS), Lizette Feris, has taken to social media with powerful images of herself wearing makeup that mimics bruises and injuries, symbolising the pain endured by victims.

Her most recent post reached more than 20,000 views on Facebook in two days and has sparked conversations nationwide, challenging communities to confront the realities of gender-based violence (GBV).

Feris, who has been practising visual activism since 2012, said the decision to use herself as a canvas for activism was born out of frustration with the silence surrounding GBV. Being a survivor herself, she wanted to create a visual representation that would be impossible to ignore.

She explained that since she has healed, she is more confident and can put herself back in “that place” to represent victims going through it.

“Wearing the makeup made me feel the way a woman would feel walking around with a bruised face, even when their bruises are not fully visible because some abusers will not hurt you where it’s visible but will hurt you where it isn’t,” she said.