I want to live in a world where women are free, unshackled from drowning in aspirations to be ‘perfect’. To not be bound in servitude to the male gaze. And to not feel suffocated by conforming to societal ideals of womanhood. The theme of this project investigates how women consciously hide behind a mask, concealing their true identities. The project explores how women feel more safe and secure wearing a painted disguise that men adore, rather than accepting and embracing their natural beauty.

 

The consumer brand of ‘Barbie’, aimed at impressionable girls is a key instrument in the development of a young womans’ self-awareness. Harnessed as a tool of patriarchy to control specific versions of female identity. Consumerism and consumption subconsciously force-feeds women into embodying a manufactured flawless ideal. The project showcases the sad reality of the performed self where over-sexualised stereotypes take centre stage. Self-love doesn’t come from validation, it comes from realising that what lies behind the mask is good enough.