This body of work explores the societal expectations and systematic oppression that teenage girls deal with as they navigate this complex time in their lives. Female Adolescence examines niche experiences taken from when I was a teenage girl to show the resilience required to grow up in this beautiful and toxic reality.
My work utilizes acrylic paint to create an atmosphere that embodies the teen girl world, such as makeup, stuffed animals, sparkly pepper spray, and a baby blue knife. These objects symbolize the shift from seeing the world as this bright and colorful place to one that we weren’t truly ever safe in. The portrait of a young girl standing on a scale and another staring at herself in a mirror explores themes of self perception and the beginning of body image issues.
My goal is to validate the shared experience of women and young girls as well as shed a little light on this burden that is expected of us to endure while keeping a bright and positive attitude.