We are Never Quite Good Enough!
Janet Polsky. We are Never Quite Good Enough!, 2007.
Description:
Right to left: The 17-inch waistline (the Scarlett O'Hara look); the 1920's Lillian Russell look; the Twiggy look; the Burka.
The stretched neck of some African women - stretched so that the neck can no longer support the head without rings. Stretched earlobe and two front teeth missing, so that she cannot bite food.
The corset, the chastity belt, and a knife representing clitorectomies. Bound feet that absolutely crippled Chinese women; high-heeled stiletto shoes that eventually disable American women. All, really to titillate men.
At the top right is Amelia Bloomer, editor of "The Lily," a temperance journal, who wore and publicized the clothes designed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Known as "Bloomers," these undergarments resembled Turkish pants and were intended to free women from corsets, long dresses and multiple petticoats that encumbered women's free motion.
Medium:
Sculpture
Tags:
binding, corset, appearance, oppression, ritual, shoes, clothing, dress, costume
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