Excuse Me Sir

silk screen print on paper, pastel, yarn, embroidery thread

18x24"

Artist Statement:

A self-portrait of myself (figure). The piece is a commentary on gender and how I am perceived by others vs. my thoughts on myself. I identify as female (she/her) but due to the way I dress or how my hair is cut, I have been perceived as masculine or intimidating for people to approach. This past year I was mistaken to be a man twice and as much as I hated to admit-- it really shook me. It made me think that I am not feminine enough and that I needed to change the way I look and dress to be perceived as 'female'. After trying to change my look but not feeling like myself anymore, I realized that the concept of feminity is what you make of it and you should not feel the need to dress a certain way to be perceived as female. This can be seen through the figure in the center (me) in a men's sweatsuit but wearing heels. The heels all around me and the distressed pages represent the turmoil and confusion I felt while trying to find a balance between dressing to be perceived a certain way and dressing for myself. And the figure in the center represents how I felt I was being perceived on the outside and the shoes are what I was feeling on the inside. Heels have become a symbol of feminity for me.