An evening at the Underground with Camille Urso
By Josh Hughes
On January 26 at 7 p.m. in the Underground Coffeehouse, the Womxn’s Center will be hosting a talk by social media figurehead and nonfiction writer Camille Urso. Known as @brasiliangold on Instagram, Urso uses her online platform to reach out to victims of sexual assault and abuse, as well as talk about rape culture, empowering femininity, and a thorough dismantling of patriarchal and societal norms.
Urso, age 23, has also recently finished a book of poetic nonfiction entitled Whorticulture. Similar to her Instagram presence, the book dissects many personal traumatic experiences that Urso has undergone as a young woman living in San Francisco. As a survivor of physical and sexual abuse, she attempts to plainly transcribe her life in a way to connect with womxn that have gone through similar situations.
“In order to cope with the reality I have been given, I translate my experiences into words with the hope of acting as somewhat of a guide to the taboo,” Urso says regarding her work. “Drawing from personal experiences, as well as observations and interactions I have within society, I aim to dissect everyday life into its most transparent and humanly imposed elements – and then mock them until they fall apart completely.”
Excerpts from Whorticulture include passages on the empowerment of makeup, disturbing recollections of her abusers, the blatant filth of catcall culture, sex positivity and her amusement at the hypermasculinity of everyday interactions. The writing shifts through different perspectives and styles, but the message consistently remains clear.
In addition to her work in literature, Urso uses the mediums of dance and photography to capture a more robust understanding of her intention as an artist. Her Instagram account draws viewers in with elegant photographs of herself, captioned with the same sort of writing that flowers throughout her book.
While the word feminism comes to mind when thinking about any of Urso’s work, she has made an effort to detach herself from that word, because she feels “(feminism) is a sham, something for the nice, privileged, educated, middle class ladies with regard for touching the faith in essential goodness of Daddy and policemen. I’m out to destroy your system, not attain certain rights within it.” Taken from one of her Instagram posts, the quote encapsulates Urso’s attitude as both a writer and an artist.
Her talk at the Underground will include readings from personal essays and pieces of her book, and she hopes to create a dialogue with the audience as the evening goes on. As with all talks at the UGCH, Camille Urso’s talk will be free and open to the public.
The following day, January 27, the Womxn’s Center will host a workshop in VU 462A from 9 – 11 a.m. where students can come in and share writing pieces in a safe space, as well as express themselves physically with Urso. Students that are interested in attending should send an email to Rosa Sanchez, the Womxn’s Center Assistant Coordinator, at as.women.asst@wwu.edu.
In Urso’s own words: “Celebrate in what you are. The world is yours, sis.”
