Grupo de Forcados Femininos de Benavente (facebook) , a Portuguese group of women who participate in the traditional unarmed Portuguese-style bullfighting known as forcados. Founded in 2008 by adolescent Susana Frieza, the group is the only all-female bullfighting group in Portugal and involves women subverting gender roles by “subduing” bulls in the ring.

These eight women, all sisters, mothers, and daughters, come together to challenge the bull directly, without any protection or defensive weapons. Unlike Spanish bullfighting, they do not kill the animal but try to surround and secure it until it is subdued.

Leonel Dietsche and Ruben Meier, who worked under the moniker LEONELRUBEN, has a different reflections on the generational tradition come with a naive clarity that simplifies bull wrestling into three emotions: fear, love, and protection. “The precious relation between mother and daughter, which in this case is circling fear and respect for each other, is a gateway to understanding a culture full of idiosyncrasies and contradictions,” say the directors.

via nowness