Untitled [Working Women]
Inspired by the iconic portraits of Cindy Sherman, I created portraits of nameless women who all share the same (hyper)reality.
Inspired by the iconic portraits of Cindy Sherman, I created portraits of nameless women who all share the same (hyper)reality.
For this assignment, I was greatly inspired by a video essay by Natalie Wynn called Opulence. In this essay, Wynn explores expressions of class, wealth, status, and womanhood. I got to thinking about the performance that is womanhood; womanhood as a simulacrum. “Womanhood” is a construct in that gender itself is a complete departure from reality- gender is a hyperreality. That being said, gender has very real consequences. In government positions, there’s an expectation that women should embrace male signifiers, while also being expected to maintain signifiers of womanhood. Women can’t be emotional- they have to be stern and serious. At the same time, they’re expected to be beautiful and young; smiley and grateful to be given a space in the boys club. Political women can’t care about feminine things, but they must be feminine- but not too feminine! It’s a losing game. I wanted to portray various women in political roles caught in the absurd balancing act of embracing the masculine uniform politics demands while maintaining a hyperfeminine gender performance. Inspired by the iconic portraits of Cindy Sherman, I created portraits of nameless women who all share the same (hyper)reality.