The Fragmented Female Body
I had stumbled onto the blog The Headless Women of Hollywood by Marcia Belsky. This platform displays an ever-refreshing feed of depictions of women in advertisement and media. They are always headless. They are always sexualized, and the men are always there, either looking upon them, or staring into the eyes of a viewer
Headless in these posters she poses as a sexualized body. An object that is also a basic ingredient in the pattern of Hollywood design, as painfully pointed out in Belsky’s blog.
As a woman, looking at how women are portrayed, I understand the need for facelessness, and ability to insert oneself into a physical representation. There is a desire to feel seen in these forms, but to what end are they created and posed for?
Red Woman, 2019
Cement fondu, therapeutic bands, steel, wood, tile, grout
8’ x 9’ x 4’
As an athlete,
when I see a female body I think of physical ability. Tendons and bones and muscle memory. There are skills and abilities that are unique to her. So many of my teammates are so impressive. We call her “the wall” and her “the bullet” and she is “our hero” when she catches the impossible catch.
This series looks at women without identity through the lens of sport. This bookended body of active components and physiology. Red women of blood and veins and bodies of unbounded abilities.
Knots, 2020
Oil paint, panel, maple frame, rabbit skin glue
28 x 32”
Swing, Slap, Spike, 2019
Enamel paint, rope, pine board, metal fixture
6’ x 5’ x 14”
