Reflections in Cloth
The perception that a woman spends more time in the bathroom than her male counterpart, whether it’s when showering or getting ready, is generally agreed upon by society. This idea that women feel the need to be in the bathroom and in front of the mirror for extended periods of time is used and exploited in pop culture. Films and television construct this image of the typical heterosexual woman as being self-consumed, preoccupied with appearance and therefore insecure. Yet this behavior is supported and encouraged all around us.
While much of this time that women spend in the bathroom is spent grooming, this time is also filled by self-analysis, whether critical or not, and can be a time of reflection. In this series of slightly larger than life self-portraits in a bathroom setting I have presented myself in my most vulnerable state. Without the glamorization of makeup or the beautification of my own hand, I confront the viewer before, during, and after my own grooming routines, and face them unapologetically.
The expression of the figures is not for the purpose of pleasing the viewer, but to challenge. Is the figure beautiful? Or is the drawing of the figure beautiful? How do our standards for beauty change based on the subject in real life or when represented in art? How does this ritualistic behavior aid in our self-discovery? Does it? How much power are we giving those around us by feeding into these ideas? Or is it self-empowerment?
The perception that a woman spends more time in the bathroom than her male counterpart, whether it’s when showering or getting ready, is generally agreed upon by society. This idea that women feel the need to be in the bathroom and in front of the mirror for extended periods of time is used and exploited in pop culture. Films and television construct this image of the typical heterosexual woman as being self-consumed, preoccupied with appearance and therefore insecure. Yet this behavior is supported and encouraged all around us.
While much of this time that women spend in the bathroom is spent grooming, this time is also filled by self-analysis, whether critical or not, and can be a time of reflection. In this series of slightly larger than life self-portraits in a bathroom setting I have presented myself in my most vulnerable state. Without the glamorization of makeup or the beautification of my own hand, I confront the viewer before, during, and after my own grooming routines, and face them unapologetically.
The expression of the figures is not for the purpose of pleasing the viewer, but to challenge. Is the figure beautiful? Or is the drawing of the figure beautiful? How do our standards for beauty change based on the subject in real life or when represented in art? How does this ritualistic behavior aid in our self-discovery? Does it? How much power are we giving those around us by feeding into these ideas? Or is it self-empowerment?
