Serving as a foundational composition for my future BFA Thesis, Voyeur, this painting was my primary exploration into the nuances of privacy vs. performance, and the idea that individuals—with particular emphasis on women—are subject to perception without rest, even in our own spaces. In the age of social media dependence and shallow displays of an idealized “self,” it becomes second nature to critique one’s own attributes through comparison to those who better fit the overconsumption-driven standards of beauty.

In conjunction with this, the public sexualization of the female figure under the guise of liberation—from provocative social media posts to the encouragement of teenagers to pursue sex work—serves to further perpetuate the commodification of women under patriarchal systems.

“You are a woman with a man inside watching a woman. You are your own voyeur.” —Margaret Atwood, The Robber Bride