Where Stereotypes Surface
This project explores the tension between societal expectations and personal identity, particularly as they relate to the experience of being a woman. It delves into themes of vulnerability, restriction, and the pervasive influence of stereotypes, using visual and tactile elements to evoke the emotional weight of these struggles.
One of the primary inspirations for this piece was the Be A Lady video featuring Cynthia Nixon. The video powerfully articulates the impossible standards imposed on women, with Nixon’s monologue listing contradictory societal expectations: be thin but not too thin, be confident but not bossy, be attractive but not provocative. These lines struck me deeply, especially the way they highlight the suffocating nature of these double standards and the emotional toll they take. The video and my project share a common focus: confronting the oppressive weight of societal norms while expressing the emotional exhaustion of trying to conform to them.
In finishing this project, I’ve realized that my creation mirrors the way I’ve been shaped by societal treatment. I’ve become cautious and reserved, suppressing parts of myself to fit into expectations particularly in the way I navigate being seen by men. This realization has been deeply emotional and transformative. Like the video, my work is a visual representation of the emotional conflict of being a woman navigating these expectations.
The sculpture itself is layered with meaning: a head wrapped in newspaper clippings, symbolizing the overwhelming weight of societal narratives and expectations. The pink tears streaming down its face speak to the pain and sadness of navigating these imposed roles, much like the frustration conveyed in Nixon’s voice as she recounts the endless list of “rules.” The word “OVERLOOKED” across the eyes represents the invisibility women often feel when their true selves are obscured by these stereotypes. A choker constructed from heavy chains emphasizes restriction and suffocation, paralleling the metaphorical chains described in the video’s narrative. Finally, the pastel flowers around the base juxtapose beauty and fragility, a reminder of how society demands women embody perfection while ignoring their struggles.
This project has been an awakening, confronting me with the need to question how societal norms shape me and how I can resist letting them define me. Like the Be A Lady video, my work is a call to reflect on the unfair burdens women carry and an invitation to challenge the structures that perpetuate them.
