Artist Statement
In my work, I address how the conservative culture I grew up in polarizes gender identity into extreme idealizations and how this causes women in this environment to distort their self-perception. I explore the idea of the true self and how culture inevitably determines one’s identity. Young boys and girls’ ideas of themselves are formed as gender is imprinted upon them, so they grow into one of two distinct molds created by cultural standards. How we are shaped creates oppressive power imbalances, toxic stereotypes, and withholding of one’s potential. These idealizations deeply impact women, and I show how this concept affects girlhood and women’s complicated relationship with sexualization.
In contrast, I also address how gender idealization affects boys’ idea of masculinity and their relationships with women. I attribute this interest to my upbringing in a deeply conservative area of the Bible Belt, and I address issues within the culture I grew up around. Since I am not comfortable expressing my opinions outright because of the fear of backlash from my community, I use my artistic practice and work as a way to relieve the anger I hold towards it. I portray how this environment affected my perception of womanhood by distorting common cultural symbols. I take an easily recognizable object, icon, or aesthetic and alter it to show my personal experience. I began using symbols when I would source Christian iconography, but I have started to broaden my sources to southern symbols and other pop culture designs. Alongside this, I use imagery sourced directly from my possessions or personal photos to illustrate my connection to the topic of gender polarization. By sourcing my imagery this way, I provide a more personal perspective on the issues I address. When my audience views my work, I want to help them better understand how cultural concepts of traditional gender identity can harm self-perception.
