Combing through a mid-1960’s woman’s magazine, I was struck by the constant running theme of having to be the perfect woman pleasing her man - she had to be beautiful, coiffed, a gracious hostess, and doting mother. Whether or not she had ambition, her own wants, or any other thought in her head seemed irrelevant. Indeed, it seemed that that ideal image was a marketable brand. Sadly, in many ways, this brand of perfect wife/mother/sexpot has not progressed very far in forty years. We are still reminded on a daily basis that we can have it all – motherhood, career, size 00 jeans, and a fabulous man – if we just stay thin and beautiful so that we attract all the right kind of attention. There can be campaigns for natural beauty, there can be movements to empower women across the world, but until we truly feel that we are worth more than a number on the scale in order to snag a man, we are still simply accepting that the brand of the Perfect Woman is the best that we can be.
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Hey there - this comment is from me - "The Perfect Woman in Black & White" was accepted by Influx Gallery for the summer Branded exhibition. I am truly honoured to be a part of this, and am so excited to have my work displayed alongside some great Canadian artists. www.influxgallery.com
This is true. It's hard to be self-empowered, though, because we - and everyone around us - have been brainwashed by TV/Film/Magazines. It's subtle and pervasive - so much so most people will deny it, believing that TV has no affect on them. Yet, children, and some adults, think it's normal and okay to ridicule someone for being fat. TV and films never show plus-size people in the role of the hero. Unless the film is a comedy, fat people/short people/disabled people don't even exist in TV, Film, or magazines. I prefer to be the imperfect woman, with a messy house and a questionable fashion sense - but I still can't help myself checking that scale now and then!
Oh hey! I forgot to mention: congrats on the gallery acceptance, and yes, it's a very nice piece!
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