Women in the Modern World

Being a woman in today's world is complex, multifaceted, and difficult. These artifacts are an effort to convey the experiences of 21st century women. 

Women Today

Egyptian Mummy Portrait, c. 160 - 170 C.E.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/search.aspx?searchText=fayum+portrait

What's it mean to be a "modern" woman? "Modern" means to come from something, and so a modern woman is a woman steeped in physical, cultural, and psychological ancestors—and that is all women. To be a modern woman is to share a common history with all the women that have preceded her. It is to share and be made by the hopes, fears, abuse, and victories of previous cultures’ relationships with women. I like this woman’s death mask because, even though she and I are separated by 1800 years, she emotes confidence and calm like the women in my life that I admire.

What is Fe/male?

What is Fe/male?

"And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man" (Genesis 2:22). In the beginning, man wrote a bible in which women were created for and by men.  Throughout the epochs of human civilization, that hasn't changed. Women from birth are told what they are and, sometimes more significantly, what they are not. The world peers through lenses stained with difference and we are collectively and individually defined by what is male and what is female, what is right and what is wrong. Rarely are we defined by what is human. No culture or subsect of society is immune to the toxic categorization of women, of humans. This exhibit depicts women of today's world that exemplify, truly, what is fundamentally female.  

So Much More

     Society has almost always tried to dictate how a woman should look, what a women should be interested in, and how a woman should act.  They use the media to narrow women's perceptions of other women and themselves to keep them stuck where they have always been: behind men.  It is really only recently that women have started to be able to see themselves for who they really are: so much more than who society says they should be.

This One's for the Girls

Women oppression. Not necessarily a new topic, amiright? But here we are, quoting Martina McBride and all. 

From What I’ve Gathered…

From what I’ve gathered women are incredibly enigmatic.  Why is do I feel this way?

What It Means To Be A Woman




This is collection of pictures I took while I was in Nepal. I chose these pictures because I think that they truly capture the essence of what it means to be a woman. Being a woman is very different in the world, so this is simply my version of what it takes to be a great woman.

Women in the World

Lorna Simpson, 

Twenty Questions (A Sampler)

What does it mean to be a woman in the world? What is a woman? Simpson's work encapsulates the complexity of such questions by addressing the details and quirks of one girl. The viewer is left to decide. Who she is and what she is and how she sees the world and her own femininity. To be a woman in the world means lending our fresh eyes to the world. Below, you will see slivers of what my eyes see about women in the world. 

Venus of Willendorf, 

c.2800 and 2500 BCE

The miniature Venus of Willendorf is a figurine carved from limestone and is one of the earliest examples of artistic expression in human history.It is remarkable, then, that the subject is a woman. The Venus dates from the European Paleolithic or "Old Stone Age" and is believed to be a fertility goddess. The tiny Venus stands as a testament to the sheer and sensual power of the female body and the ancient captivation that it has held over human beings. 

Guerrilla Girls,(no name), 2012 

The human body is a fascinating subject for artistic expression. However, if the only sure way women can get work into major museums is to appear in the nude as a model, the body becomes a vehicle for exploitation rather than appreciation. This work is the third in a series of the same piece, altered only to change the statistics. With each reproduction, the percentages have altered some to reveal that the numbers are almost imperceptibly shifting in favor of more female artists. 

“A beauty neither of fine colour nor long eyelash, nor pencilled brow, but of meaning, of movement, of radiance.”

--Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

What makes a woman thus? What informs the world that she is such a force? There are those who become beautiful to us not because of their most qualitative details. There are those who speak with meaning. There are those who inspire movement with the thrill of their purpose. And these above pearly white teeth or a fine figure declare radiance to me. 

Devendra Banhart "Für Hildegard von Bingen" from Isaiah Seret on Vimeo.

Hildegard von Bingen was an 11th-century abbess, writer, philosopher, and one of the first female composers in Western musical history. I have always felt an admiration for Hildegard and the recognition she held for her own talent, as does modern musician Devendra Banhart. His music video for the song entitled "Für Hildegard von Bingen" is a cheeky rendition of Hildegard's life, and the role that she played for the music industry. 

“She is a friend of my mind. She gather me, man. The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back to me in all the right order. It's good, you know, when you got a woman who is a friend of your mind.” 

--Toni Morrisson, Beloved 

Toni Morrisson has penned words that slice straight to the heart of something. This quote, from a male character in her novel Beloved, recognizes women as equals in their mental faculties to their counterparts. Women have unique and lovely perspectives to lend and interesting things to think about. 

Pablo Picasso, 
Portrait of Gertrude Stein 

Picasso's portrait of Stein renders her in the cubist style. Her face and pose are distorted to allow a highly emotive and expressive portrait. Picasso uses this style to express several facets of Stein at once, indicating that she is important for more than her appearance. 

Pablo Picasso, 

Les Demoiselles de Avignon

The "Ladies of Avignon" is a work that evokes the primitive power and allure of women. The angles of their bodies and Picasso's use of African tribal masks as inspiration creates a strong sense of unity; a "girl gang" of sorts. The painting is based from poses of French prostitutes, but their bodies are not objectified. Rather, they are brought together by color and angle to give the viewer the sense that they are almost intruding upon the   

--Danielle Dutton, Margaret the First 

This excerpt from an imaginative memoir of Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle   (a delightful read),is one that depicts the dynamism of women with whimsy. The Duchess was extravagant in all. As a "Renaissance woman" of sorts, she was an aristocratic philosopher, novelist, poet, and play-wright in the 17th century. And she was a woman. A woman who wore pearl-studded finery and also desired to transcend the boundaries of intelligence and acquire the knowledge of the ages.

the lemony love of mother

we call her friend

and she loves us louder

louder, perhaps than anyone ought

and we made a secret handshake

a soft tug on the ear

and a thousand other shared tastes and secrets

we call her night

for the tear-soaked times she spent

healing our hearts

all is right with the world

and she typed out a love note

and sent it to me every night for the first year I lived away 

we call her home

for she shores our spirits

she glitters and she glides

she colors her corner of the world

and she never forgets a birthday

or neglects one in need

we call her art

because we have discovered

that she is something to behold

and I study her handwriting

as it speaks to sophistication itself

we call her brilliant

and our faces turn to find her

as sunflowers seeking the light

we call her love lemony

it is that taste upon our tongues and hearts  that beat for and because of mother

This is a poem I wrote about my mother. She is undoubtedly my hero. One year ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer. I have never seen one endure such an ugly experience with the grace that she mustered during the past year. I wrote this just a month prior to her diagnosis, but it became all the more important to me to read the things I had written about her during a time of uncertainty. I think the feelings expressed illustrate the tenderness that women exhibit in the role of motherhood and the impact that this mothering has on those they nurture and protect. 

http://traitspourtraits.tumblr.com/aboutme
We need to stop shrinking ourselves and dumbing down. We are meant to breathe and move and take up space. We are meant to be women, however we see fit. 

Dove "My Beauty My Say" Video,

via Youtube

To be a woman in the world is to be yourself. There is no right way. See the world through your eyes. And say important things about important things. Celebrate the questions, the curves, the heart, the hurt, the chaos, the divinity! 

You Might Be a Woman in 2017 If...

Although women have come far in terms of equality over the centuries, our experiences are uniquely different from men's even in 2017. Through the good, the bad, and even the ugly, here is a small glimpse into what the experience of being a modern woman entails.

Stereotypes of Women

Parentous.com

 Like it or not, stereotypes are a common part of our world. Stereotypes of women in particular run rampant. We, as women, mean different things to different people: some uplifting, others degrading. The following pictures finish the sentence: a woman is... 

Women in Our World

Feminist issues have thrust themselves to the forefront of societal conversation and have forced the world to reevaluate the role of women in the past, present, and future. I, too, have asked myself what it means to me to be a woman. When I see events like the Women's March depicted above, I am proud to be a woman. The March represents the strength and solidarity of our gender. Even in the face of great opposition, women have always been strong. They will continue to rise and influence this world through their strength. As we band together as women online, in marches, and in our communities, we will only become stronger.

A Look To The Past

This digital exhibition will take you through the progression and evolution of women. It highlights women who have made important contributions to our society and monumental events that shape our modern view of women. Throughout history societies have suppressed women from enjoying their freedoms and expressing their opinions. Many women have died for the cause and suffered unjustly, however I have chosen to focus this display on the women, past and present, who motivate and encourage me to be better.

Black, White and Color: the Life of a Woman

Women around the world face deep challenges and discrimination unique to their circumstance. Being a women in the modern world entails that we are aware of the struggles of our fellow females- and do we our best to see the world in Black, White and Color. 

In Praise of Empowering Women

Today we are surrounded by powerful women. We are surrounded by wonderful mothers. We are surrounded by women who are aware of the oppression of women historically and today, and who focus their energy on bettering themselves while working to improve the world with the strength they know they hold. As women continue to empower themselves and others, all women can come to know their own strength and use that knowledge to make a difference in lives around the world.

Progress?

It is common knowledge that women have notoriously been sexualized and objectified in the media, especially in the advertisement industry. Many, however, would like to say progress has been made and would like to move onto new topics of discussion. 

A disclaimer: This post contains heavy sarcasm, this is not with the intention to demean this topic. I believe in women's rights and I am an avid feminist. I can't believe that in some places, even in our country, people accept what is fed to them through media and the advertisement industry without any real thought to what they are experiencing. 

Modern Women: "Don't Wanna Sit Still, Look Pretty"

In a global sense there is no definition of what a woman is. Women, now more than ever, are as diverse a group as humanity itself. Their stories, experiences, and motivations differ drastically, even within the same family. However, one thing remains common throughout the world. Women have become a force beyond what they were once thought capable of. Women were once considered objects, something to "sit still" and "look pretty". Media often tries to maintain this perspective of women. However, this is simply not the case. Today women are as much a part of the world as men ever were. Their stories, their experiences, and their motivations give us greater context and understanding of our world as a whole.