Artist throws herself at men.

The Year In Pictures interviews Lilly McElroy, an artist who takes photographs of herself literally throwing herself at men. Apart from all the heavy gender-socio-dynamo analysis these images inspire, they're also just fun to look at. Whee!

I started the project by placing an ad on Craigslist looking for men who would meet me at bars blind date style and let me literally throw myself at them. This worked fairly well, but limited the # of photos I could take. Now , I go to bars with a friend/photographer and approach men who are physically larger than I am.

Link (Thanks, Susannah Breslin!)

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

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Anonymous

I like how she turns herself (a woman) into a projectile and the men into receptacles. Many layers of social commentary here.
azmanon

Listen folks, this is Real Art. Those photos should be printed on 6×10 canvases, purchased from the artist for $125,000 a piece and hung in the Museum of Modern Art. Theorists should write long drawn out texts on this Art. Art students should have to read those texts and write more texts that justify why the theories justify this as great Art. If that isn’t convincing enough, Lilly should be invited to give lectures at Art schools and if you’re a lucky student, allow her to do her Art and jump on you. Then for sure you’ll feel how great the Art is. If you still don’t get it, you’re professor could always assign you the task of going out and jumping on the opposite gender. Don’t forget to bring along a video camera to record it, show it to the class and get credit for it. Now, isn’t Art fun?
Disco Volante

I was one of the guys that caught her, number 8. It was at the Gold Star in Chicago in 2005. It was all a little strange since I was sober and had just walked into the place.
zikman

superman dat ho!

lol, sorry
Pres

I’d catch her, but I’d keep her.
Halloween Jack

I’m guessing that she works out where her and her catchers put their heads beforehand, otherwise… ouch.
Jai

#9 from the collection looks like it might hurt in about 1 second.
regeya

hawt.
dculberson

A friend of mine introduced me to her boyfriend. He was ‘sleeping’ on the couch at the time. When he heard hit name, he jumped up and threw himself at me. I staggered but managed to catch him, cradled in my arms. He looked up at me and said “you’re the first person who’s ever caught me!”

On top of being a bizarre experience, it made me really think. Why would he keep doing it if he usually falls?

Air McElroy looks like fun, though. At least the catchers have warning.
gavtron18

Lame.

That is all.
MrsBug

Um….yeah. I’m with #7.
Ilich

I think seeing the instantaneous aftermath pictures of the lady NOT being caught would be far more entertaining.
Landowner

Stocky, short, and cocky. I like her.
mirrormonkey

#7, #8, watch out the free icecream delivery people will come and complain about your posts.

yes, this is pretty lame. i still like free ice cream, can i have some more?
coldspell

I think the inevitable Photoshopped pictures will be more thought-provoking.
cha0tic

This looks like fun. Where do I hang out for her to throw herself at me?
MOONBAT

Things would go better for her if she lost weight.
RugerRedhawk

More stupid art.
Takuan

what’s smart art then?
Dizbuster

There’s art and then there’s “art.” I think this falls into the “art” category.
Antinous

what’s smart art then?

Tabi Bunraku. Until Big T catches them.
Takuan

really? why do they bother?
Antinous

I think that they think that they’re being clever. I also think that we’ll see a surge in the next few weeks. Somebody’s going to be busy. And cranky.
Talia

Her body type looks fairly healthy to me. Its fairly obnoxious and/or abjectly evil to suggest otherwise, unless your idea of healthy is kate moss.

*shakes head*

The most interesting thing to me about this project is the psychological aspect. What those men might be thinking. The conversations that follow. Now THAT’S intriguing.
jere7my

Talia, I think the idea is that you’re better off throwing yourself on people if you are unhealthily thin, not that it’s better to be unhealthily thin in general.
Coaster

She should pick bigger guys. She looks (not that she is fat) but that she outweighs some of them. Could be painful.