Property of Paul. Main Street, Sturgis, SD, 1979
Limited Edition Print from an edition of 50. Photo ©1979 Michael Lichter
Description: When I first got my “Property Of” buckle, I hated it. I wasn’t going to wear it so it hung on the back of my chair for 3 weeks. I got the impression that this guy thought he owned me and controlled me but I knew I was a single, independent woman and I wasn’t anybody’s property. My man wasn’t happy. I didn’t understand that it meant more to him to give me that Buckle than to give me a diamond ring.
Eventually, I started getting to know more people and realized that if you wore the buckle, you were more respected by the brothers in the club. It also provides protection, to a certain degree, because people realize you are with a club and they leave you alone.
I have been wearing my buckle for almost six years now. I feel naked without it. It’s a part of me and I wear it with pride.
Donna on “Property,” 2003
