Category Archives: Objectification

Austin Powers and Female Representation

Shayla Hickerson10 January 2019 Three flawless, blonde, females figures enter the scene, and my jaw dropped equally as low as Austin Powers’. He froze in place, mesmerized by the gravitational, feminine seduction. I awed over the stellar guns that emerged from the Fembots’ breasts. That is where the difference in marketing existed. The Fembots are […]

Sex Sells, But How Do Women Profit?

This piece is a personal reflection on how my immediate circles are microcosms of the social sphere. I believe I have been influenced by the white, male dominated society that has historically, sexualized women. Because I am visibly female, I feel pressured to comply to these social standards and expectations. Women’s sexuality is marketed for […]

A Review of Carolee Schneemann’s Interior Scroll (1975)

Shayla Hickerson29 January 2019 The audience witnesses a nude performance by the feminist artist, Carolee Schneemann, and a question arises: is her naked body an embodiment of subjectivity or objectivity? Primarily, the notion of the Self and the Other, as theorized by Simone de Beauvoir, suggests that otherness is determined by what the Self is […]

Is Women’s Pleasure Forsaken or Taboo?

Throughout my studies as an art major who is minoring in Women Studies, I have analyzed other people’s experiences and reflected on my own. I came to the conclusion that a common theme seems to be: repressed women’s sexuality. I wanted to comment on the gendered oppression of sexuality, and how turning the light off […]

Women, So Much More than their Bodies

Photography and Styling by Shayla Hickerson Makeup by Saskia Pateman Written by Saskia Pateman I remember one of my first thoughts as we started the shoot was comparing how my body looked to the other girls in the room. I quickly stopped myself and came to the realization that I was doing exactly what this […]

Art, the Male Gaze and Body Image: Ft. Yves Klein

Photo and Styling courtesy of Shayla Hickerson Models from left to right: John Forget – Fantasia LaPremiere, Allison Drechsler, Amelia Eirynn, Jacqueline Heinrich, Saskia Pateman Makeup by Jenna Scali and Jessica Frappa Reclaiming the Feminine Image (Part 2) In the beginning of the Volume geared towards ‘Exploring Art and the Male Gaze as Influential of […]

You’re a Work of Art, My Dear

You’re too tall. You’re too pale. Too big, too flat, too boyish, too old. These thoughts bleed into my soul far too often. You, too, probably have criticized yourself for being too something. We talk about body positivity, about self-love, about girls supporting girls. But most of us succumb to self-judgment at least some of […]