This is my representation of how I felt growing up as a young girl. I wanted to address my feelings and add twists on the meanings of situations I experienced. The raspberry stains signify the embodiment of becoming a woman, marking the onset of maturity and womanhood. The white dress addresses how the concept of "purity" has been stained and therefore vanished from the body, reflecting the complexities of societal expectations. At such a tender age, we experience the profound emotional burden of womanhood, grappling with feelings of loneliness, frustration, and the pervasive sense of being misunderstood and objectified.
You are now seen as a sexual object, and from a young age, society perceives your body as capable of bringing life into the world. The biology of your period involves the shedding of your uterine wall every month, a process that is often interpreted as a "failure" to get pregnant during ovulation. This inherent bodily function comes with unnecessary existential pain, accompanied by feelings of guilt and shame for simply bleeding. Society imposes a sense of disgust upon you, despite the fact that this very process is the reason why all of us exist. In reality, menstruation is a natural part of human nature, bringing forth the precious gift of life.
Men have always been vocal about their negative views on periods, dating back to childhood when bringing up the topic was considered impolite. As adults, their use of words like 'disgusting' and engaging in irrelevant conversations about it has been utterly upsetting. It's disheartening to witness this behavior from grown adults. Many women I know have shared similar encounters. Nevertheless, I have chosen to find humor in these situations and incorporate them into my work by playfully embracing messy, raw emotions. This led me to include scenes in my piece where I joyfully indulge in berries, striving to reshape the perceived 'disgusting' nature of periods into a sensual display of power. This particular element played a crucial role in the overall project, serving as a poignant reflection of society's discomfort with the natural processes of the female body.