Beauty or Bondage

This piece - made of a combination of handmade paper and collage on canvas - shows a contemplative woman looking at a picture of Lilith on the wall. In feminist folklore Lilith was the first wife of Adam. She became an icon in modern feminist folklore for leaving Adam in the Garden of Eden because she refused to be subservient to him. Some accounts hold that Lilith was the woman implied in Genesis that was made from the same soil as Adam. Hence, she believed that they were created equal, both from the dust of the earth. Here the woman is wondering what Lilith would do if she was in similar circumstances. But we don't know - only Lilith does!

A handmade mask made of paper Mache with tooled metal rings represents the tradition of neck lengthening in Burma (now Myanmar). This a unique practice in the name of beauty among the Kayan people. Kayan girls typically begin wearing brass collars around the age of five or six. Now located in the northern hills of Thailand, the Thai government has the Kayan women in guarded villages where they are subject to a different kind of oppression - on display to tourists so the Thai government can profit off of them.

This piece is a reflection of the artist’s personal evolution as a feminist, weaving together memories, symbols, and historical references to explore the forces that shaped her awareness of gender inequality. Raised in the American Midwest, Hayes was a tomboy in her childhood, embracing the outdoors with unrestrained joy. But upon entering Catholic school in junior high, she encountered the strict hierarchy that placed women in subordinate roles beneath priests and altar boys. Being treated as “less than” was in stark contrast to how she had felt in her pre-teen years. The central figure in the collage is modeled after Hayes’ youngest daughter. The figure holds a small handmade book - mirrored in an interactive element, that invites viewers to turn pages and see a timeline of feminist thought and activism, including iconic works such as Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique and the founding of The National Organization for Women (NOW). The piece reinforces the intergenerational nature of the feminist progress, as Hayes herself has raised three feminist daughters. “An Awakening” captures a journey of awakening that moves from childhood innocence to an understanding of systemic oppression and, ultimately, empowerment.

This piece is made of Washi papers, set against a background of Chinese characters. The photographs in the center are of Lotus shoes with an article that describes the practice. Foot-binding was popular in China for hundreds of years, primarily from the 1600’s to the mid 1900’s. It was considered a mark of feminine beauty, and a prerequisite for finding a husband, although it severely limited the mobility of women and created lifelong physical disabilities. The last lotus shoe factory, which made lotus shoes for foot bound women, closed in 1999.

An actual antique dickie with beads is set against a background of nude drawings done on rice paper. The artist states: "In the 1940’s I had an aunt, a beautiful woman, who dressed up to go to work every day. Like my own mother, she owned and wore several dickies. Dickies were developed to cover up women’s decolletage - a French word meaning “expose the neck.” The dickies were beautiful too but their purpose perfectly illustrates the Beauty or Bondage dichotomy. We don’t have to cover up the female body - it’s a beautiful thing.

This clock shows the juxtaposition of contemporary stiletto shoes with the Lotus shoes of China. How ironic that a modern interpretation of beauty in the Western World also results in long lasting damage to women's feet (the overuse of high heel pumps can lead to a range of injuries and deformities).

This striking multimedia piece challenges the viewer to examine the Catholic Church’s historical relationship with women’s bodies. At its center, the solemn image of the Pope looms over fragmented depictions of the naked female form - figures that have been deemed “impure” by religious doctrine unless presented in the context of motherhood or saintliness. At the top of the composition, women crowned with haloes symbolize the Church’s limited acceptance of female purity, an ideal that’s historically tied to reproduction and the expansion of the Catholic faith. The phrase “Gag Rules” appears prominently in the piece, referencing policies that have silenced conversations about reproductive rights. The work invites reflection on how control over the female form has been used as a tool of oppression and challenges the idea that its natural state should be censored.

This piece shows a Maasai necklace painted on handmade paper; the background was done with photographs the artist took of Maasai women in Africa. The Maasai culture is a patriarchal culture that views women as property; a man’s wealth is measured in cattle, wives, and children. Female genital mutilation is considered a rite of passage. Most Maasai men reject females that have not undergone this, considering them not worthy of marriage. The artist states: “I bought a necklace from the Maasai made with beads and metal wire, and have always considered it similar to a chain around the necks of the Masai women.”

The knitting around the subject's shoulders represents the baggage that many women carry. The red shoes are representative of the conflict between an artist’s profession and her personal life, as depicted in the classic 1948 movie, The Red Shoes. Most little girls are raised with the fairy tales of Cinderella and Snow White and believe that someday they are going to meet their prince, fall in love, and live happily ever after. But who ever actually lives like that? We grow up and carry inside who and what we thought we were supposed to be. This is not to say that there aren’t many happy marriages, just that they’re not the fairy tales of childhood.

In this piece, the artist presents a powerful critique of society’s relentless and unattainable beauty standards for women. At the center, 3-D baby doll faces are grafted onto fashion model bodies atop a spinning carousel. The cycling messages of the media, the fashion industry, and cultural norms create an unceasing ride from childhood to adulthood - a ride that pressures women to achieve an unrealistic standard of beauty: tall, slim, fit, and forever polished. This piece challenges the audience to step off the ride, to recognize the damaging consequences that pursuing an ideal body image has for women, and to reclaim their own definitions of beauty and self-worth.

Made with handmaid Japanese rice paper (Washi paper) and using the softness of pastels, this piece is symbolic of a happy marriage where, behind the beauty, there’s a shadow many have to face. A wedding quilt was often made by a group of women to be given to the bride as a wish for a happy marriage. But this shadow far too often includes secrets such as marital violence and emotional abuse, coercive control, and sexual abuse. On the right hand side of this piece, beneath the quilt, the handmade paper has been molded to give a glimpse of those secrets.

This is a rap song I commissioned to depict the oppression of women that seems commonplace in today's music world. Please don't be offended. Here are the words: C F M P this is what you do to me Use me abuse me just don’t ever loose me C F M P look at what you’ve made of me Balance those tits shake your hips stick your tongue through those outer lips C F M P toes to the left toes to the right can these legs hold you tight Perhaps you are mighty to stay the night yeah C F M P lookin swell go to hell Get the prize and ring the bell lift your skirt for show and tell C F M P hello lady want to mate step up to meet your fate cause now it’s time to fornicate C F M P C F M P