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This Painter Left Her Advertising Job to Become a Feminist Street Artist

A short documentary captures underground artist MissMe at work as she paints portraits of figures like Nina Simone and Amy Winehouse.
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Almost anyone who’s been cubicle-bound has fantasized about running away, leaving the corporate world behind and pursuing their passions. Montreal-based street artist MissMe did just that. "At the height of a successful career at one of the world’s top advertising agencies…. MissMe quit her job and took to the streets to become an underground street artist,” reads the description of Even/Odd Films’ short documentary about the artist. "Her goal? Self-liberation, authenticity, and to be a loud counter-voice to the objectification of women in mainstream advertising.” Since then, MissMe has painted all over the world. Her signature work is a woman in a power stance wearing a Mickey Mouse balaclava and lifting her t-shirt—the only clothes she wears—to her neck. She also paints large-scale portraits of icons like Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, and Amy Winehouse. See MissMe at work in the film below.

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To learn more about MissMe's work, click here.

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