The Better Bombshell is a book that asks twenty teams – each consisting of one writer and one visual artist – to answer a simple question: Who is the better bombshell?

The project is centered around a simple void in modern media: the lack of positive, multidimensional female role models. Who do today’s young women admire? Who do today’s men covet? What earns our envy and our celebration, our lust and our love? The last century has seen women’s roles change more rapidly than ever before, and the media is showering us with images of modern women – but without conscious reflection on what those images mean.

In a sharp contrast to the popular media, we’re asking some of the best creative, intellectual, and artistic minds of our era to do what they do best: provide new insights into the questions that most of us forget to ask. The act of collaboration provides a unique opportunity for writers and artists to engage in the time-tested tradition of letting words and images work together to push both further into the void than either could reach alone. The book will feature the results (both written and visual) of each collaboration, and will be launched at a gallery opening in February 2013. Authors, artists, and the public are invited to attend the exhibition, where they will hear first readings from the authors and view original artwork.

The Better Bombshell asks some of the best writers and artists of our era to redefine the female role model. Who is the better bombshell? It’s a simple question, but the answers might make you laugh. They might make you cry. No matter what, they’re guaranteed to make you think.