Young Women
2022, Wearable Sculpture
Floor length tunic dress of muslin with cyanotype prints of 60 female body portraits.
This project was created as a continuation and development from my first project, Bodies of Time. After reflecting on my first project I felt this heaviness from developing a project that defines “perfect” bodies and almost validated that system of thinking. I wanted to create a piece that was more uplifting and encouraged a positive response to body image and acceptance. For this piece it was also very important to me that it was a social practice and a collaborative project which included the many women around me at Berkeley that uplift me and the people I have conversations with regarding body image and body confidence.
This project included 60 women from Berkeley including women I know from Greek life, friend circles, and a few beyond. I took portraits of all the women included in a safe space I set up and had the pleasure of having conversations with all the women about what this project means for me and how this relates to their relationships with their own bodies. One of the things I was worried about with this project was that I was afraid I did not include a wide enough range of body types to be inclusive and really spread the message of inclusivity and positivity of all types. While that is a shortcoming with my project, I still felt considering all my conversations that the final garment was a token of appreciation and pride for all the women included and I felt fulfilled with the way I was able to uplift the participants. I do have hopes to continue this project and expand the model inclusion to more body sizes, ages, and a wider range of skin colors, but for now I am proud of how this piece celebrates the female form and can be a practice of celebrating differences for young women.