This was a project from my Introduction to Visual Arts class. The objective was to build some kind of body armor that metaphorically protected your heritage from a threat. Since I’m an African-American female, I chose to focus on the negative stereotypes and social discrimination that we (this can be me, my mother, and/or African-American females in general) have faced.
The piece was mostly inspired by my mother who would tell me that as a black female, I would have to work twice as hard to get half as far. She faced discrimination when she was younger (she would be called the “n” word sometimes), and even for me today, I face mild discrimination (from how I wear my hair for example).
Socially, black females tend to get the short end of the stick since we are discriminated against because of race and sex. If we try to succeed, we are accused of “acting” or “trying to be” white. Or the reason for our success is relegated to “you’re just here because you’re black”. If we act stereotypically black, we are called “ghetto”, “obnoxious”, a “hoodrat”, and many other names that I won’t write (on the flip side, if black boys act this way, it’s usually seen as tough or cool. Read this interesting article on this difference). And let’s face it, it’s generally a man’s world out there. Becoming a woman in power isn’t easy. It can be uncomfortable and difficult at times.
This piece is meant to show in a tangible way what women of color have to protect themselves against every day. It’s similar to a back brace; the implementation is rather uncomfortable but in the end, it does something good for you. It makes you stand up straight to be seen and heard. The brace was made of strips of papier-mache that were first applied on my torso and then removed to create a body sleeve of sorts. The brace was constricted using a series of belts. The fabric that’s sewn together and attached to the papier-mache is indicative of African-American heritage; we don’t know where exactly we hail from Africa, but we seek to remain grounded in our roots and express them in various ways.
Below are some preliminary sketches, the building of the piece, and the final piece.
Draw. Paint. Design. 