Looking Forward to Being Attacked [inspiration for Carmen Winant work]

Lt. Jim Bullard

[Memphis]: James Allen Bullard, 1977. 8 ½ x 11 in. First edition. Offset. Perfect bound in black-and-white pictorial wraps. [1], 87, [1] pp.

The questionably titled 1977 self-defense book by a Memphis police lieutenant. A mix of helpful self-defense advice, oddly staged photographs full of ‘70s fashion, and one cop’s unusual views on victimhood, gender, and violence. The author asserts that one must change their attitude to being attacked and, after acquiring the skills outlined in this book, reject victimhood - they must be “looking forward to being attacked.”  

In 2018, the book found a new life, recontextualized by artist Carmen Winant, who created a sculpture inspired by this book and bearing it’s name. The work gathered staged self-defense photographs of women and included a number of photos from the book in a feminist conceptualization of the imagery.

A strange document of the era, full of incredible photographs accompanying the how-tos. Later republished in 1987 in a less illustrated edition. Very good.