Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

Spring 5-7-2021

Faculty Advisor(s)

Micol Hebron

Abstract

In medical journals and articles, a woman is not considered a woman until she has started menstruating, and she is no longer a woman when she reaches menopause (Hill, 2020). In this work, the ideas of life development as a woman from the perspective of the patriarchy are analyzed. "How to Navigate Womanhood Within the Patriarchy" is a quilt made from women's underwear. Each section of underwear represents a different aspect of a woman's life as stated by medical journalist, Yuko Takeda. Each stage is marked by something damaging or useful, such as mental health issues, sexual assault, child-rearing, etc., emphasizing that the experience of being a woman is fraught with suffering and that women are only valuable if they are of use. With the Scholarly and Creative Grant that I was awarded by Chapman University, I was able to expand on existing work to make a life-sized quilt. Taking inspiration from the quilts of the Underground Railroad, I have created a map of what to expect on the journey through womanhood within the patriarchy. The materials used in this piece include twelve pairs of women's underwear, fabric pieces from the underwear, light-pink cotton fabric, thread, period blood, fabric glue, lotion, and a condom. The underwear has been placed in a roughly 6” x 6” pattern onto a large sheet of pink fabric. In darkly kitsch design, women are meant to serve their purpose as child-bearers and suffer the consequences of being born into their own sex. "How to Navigate Womanhood Within the Patriarchy" emphasizes how the outline and pressures of a patriarchal society do not allow room for women to follow their own path through life. Women's lives are mapped out for them by men.

Comments

Presented at the virtual Spring 2021 Student Scholar Symposium at Chapman University.

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