Photographer Leslie McAllister  LINK

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Where did you get the idea for a pin up calendar for chess players?

”I play in chess tournaments myself, and I have always wondered why I didn’t see more women playing the game. I also worked for a while as a topless dancer and I noticed that my customers would always seem a little confused when I told them I was interested in things like chess, art or Greek history. The combination of these experiences led me to start wondering why there is such a gap in the way we portray physical vs intellectual beauty in women. I wanted to ask why people don’t automatically consider intelligence as sexy as nudity. I also marked important dates in women’s chess throughout the calendar. I wanted to remind people that women can, and regularly do, compete intellectually.”

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