The Other Side of Me, a photo campaign spearheaded by the Princeton Undergraduate Student Government University Student Life Committee, held photo sessions on Friday and Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m. each day. The campaign seeks to encourage students to share an aspect of their lives which they would otherwise not typically discuss or share.
USLC Chair Jenny Zhang ’18 and photographer Vincent Po ’18 organized the campaign after Zhang came up with the idea in February.
Po is a staff photographer for the Daily Princetonian.
Zhang explained that after being elected the chair of USLC, she had the idea to do a photo campaign, originally called Love Yourself. From its inception, the campaign was focused around students' insecurities or struggles. Zhang explained that after bringing Po on board as the photographer two months ago, the campaign’s name was changed to The Other Side of Me.
Both said the reason for this change in theme was to make the campaign more inclusive, since focusing on a specific issue like self-love might have limited the number of students who would have participated in the campaign. Po and Zhang explained that they wanted to create a campaign that would allow students to choose what they wanted to share.
“Everybody has something that they feel is really important for them to talk about, even though not all of these are some ‘giant reveal,’” Po said.
The campaign was inspired by last year’s Dear World campaign, a national campaign led by photographer Robert Fogarty that held an event at Princeton. Zhang noted that The Other Side of Me campaign is different than Fogarty’s campaign with regard to the crowd that it attracts. Since students were encouraged to write anything that they wanted to for the Dear World campaign, those messages tended to be briefer than those of this year's campaign, which generally take the form of lengthy paragraphs.
“A lot of people [last year] went to take really nice pictures, and they turned out nice, but I think that this campaign attracts a different crowd who are willing to share a little more,” Zhang said.
In addition to the campaign's initial test run, which used 20 USG members to get the word out about the campaign, 90 students participated in the campaign's two photo sessions last weekend. This was an ideal number, according to Po, since if more people had showed up, the shoot would have been difficult to manage.
Po said that finding the right visual images for the campaign was extremely important.
“We made sure that what we came up with aligned very well with the image," he said. He explained that he and Zhang spent a long time figuring out what kind of a visual they wanted for the campaign. According to him, they tossed around multiple ideas, such as blending two opaque images or using balloons, before he came across the visual concept of the campaign images employing the technique of disintegration.
Po and Zhang both noted that they feel satisfied with the way that the campaign has evolved. Po emphasized that the campaign has really been shaped by the students, who have written messages about a wide variety of issues such as body image, cultural roots and perfectionism.
Kathy Fan ’19, who wrote a message about how friends have become an important aspect of her identity, said that she was glad that the campaign gave her an opportunity to reflect on herself and read the reflections written by others. “The support I've received from people who have read my message is amazing, and it's very inspiring to learn about the story behind other people's photos as well,” she said.
Po and Zhang are currently considering spreading the campaign to other campuses or making the campaign annual.
"I feel that Princeton can give us a really skewed vision of reality," DG Kim ’18, a participant in the initiative, explained. "Everybody you meet is so talented, so smart, so invincible."
He noted that while it is important that individuals stay humble about their abilities, the illusion of perfection this humility can create can be damaging in its own right. Kim said he feels that oftentimes students do not pursue certain academic tracks or extracurricular activities because they don't feel that they are smart or good enough for them.
The Other Side of Me gives students the opportunity to expose their own self-doubt, share stories of survival or even express the smallest imperfections that help us break down the Princeton facade of invincibility," he said.
According to Kim, he decided to contribute to the project because he felt that his own internal conflict was one that could resonate with other students.
"People both in and out of Princeton have since [the initiative] talked to me about their shared experiences — even people that I have fallen out of contact with years ago. It’s so great to see that my short story could inspire other people to reach out and talk about their lives in a more vulnerable way," Kim said.
Pooja Patel ’18, another campaign participant and a USG U-Councilor, explained that she was contacted by Zhang to be a part of the initial publicity campaign. Patel explained that while she was happy to be a part of the test shoot, she was incredibly nervous when the time came for her to share something unknown about herself alongside the photo.
Patel is a former staff writer for the 'Prince.'
"I've never shared anything that is remotely vulnerable on social media, so I spent a long while contemplating a message that honestly spoke to my Princeton experience and that I believed would resonate with other students," Patel explained. "I was completely blown away by the positive and supportive responses I've received both from people on campus and at other universities."
Patel noted that she is very impressed with the outcome of the campaign overall.
"I appreciated how creative people were with what they chose to share, from raw experiences with depression and anxiety to poetry," she said. "I think it's really encouraging to see people embrace this initiative and share experiences, some of which are in stark contrast to what feels like a pervasive 'culture of perfection' at Princeton."
Mental Health Initiative Board co-chair Sarah Sakha ’18 also noted that Zhang was the one who initially reached out to her to participate in the campaign. Sakha explained that she was excited for the campaign's turnout as soon as Zhang explained the campaign's premise.
Sakha is an associate opinion editor for the ‘Prince.’
"[The campaign is] finally a chance for people to be honest — with themselves, with their closest friends, with peers — about our insecurities, vulnerabilities, sources of pride, personal experiences and life changes," she said. "Looking at all these pictures and reading through the stories and thoughts people so candidly shared made me realize how much there is to people beyond the perfunctory hellos exchanged in passing, hasty meal had in the dining hall or even close relationship you have."
Sakha explained that she participated in the campaign because the only way to hopefully get those around you to be honest about themselves is to first be honest yourself.
"I really hope we can talk more on this campus, not networking-esque small talk, but really talk. The outcome of this campaign has been really uplifting, and I hope to see more of this going forward," she said. "A lot of people have come up to me saying how ‘brave’ I am, which has made me sad in the sense that this openness about our experiences is so rare or taboo on this campus that anything I say that defies a pristine image is perceived as bravery."
"I think this photo campaign has been pretty successful so far," Anyssa Chebbi ’18, another campaign participant, said. She explained that the real beauty of the campaign is that it goes beyond just a photo and lets people talk about whatever they want.
"Students at Princeton want to talk about their personal struggles," she said. "The Other Side of Me photo campaign gives them a platform to do so."
Read More
Lil Tecca to headline spring Lawnparties, Weatherboy will open
Alena ZhangThe rapper’s mainstage performance will kick off at 3:15 p.m. at Frist North Lawn. Student rock band Weatherboy, which was set to open last semester but was unable due to weather conditions, will open at 2:30 p.m.
The rapper’s mainstage performance will kick off at 3:15 p.m. at Frist North Lawn. Student rock band Weatherboy, which was set to open last semester but was unable due to weather conditions, will open at 2:30 p.m.
Two officers terminated in first consequential DPS disciplinary report
Isabel YipPublic Safety’s 2023 Major Disciplinary Action Report listed disciplinary actions against three officers, including two terminations and one suspension, for the first time since the report’s introduction in 2021.
Public Safety’s 2023 Major Disciplinary Action Report listed disciplinary actions against three officers, including two terminations and one suspension, for the first time since the report’s introduction in 2021.
Postdocs set to vote on unionization in May
Victoria DaviesPrinceton postdoctoral researchers are set to vote on unionization on May 8 and 9, following an election agreement with the University. This comes after Princeton University Postdocs and Scholars (PUPS) announced that over 65 percent of postdocs had signed union cards.
Princeton postdoctoral researchers are set to vote on unionization on May 8 and 9, following an election agreement with the University. This comes after Princeton University Postdocs and Scholars (PUPS) announced that over 65 percent of postdocs had signed union cards.
