Inversion of Values

Oil on canvas, embroidery hoops, and thread, 6.5 x 10 feet

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2020

Dominant modes of feminism have typically prioritized the struggles of white women. The narratives I was exposed to, which rejected unrealistic beauty standards, failed to address the eurocentric ideal and its effect on women of color. Through a recent conversation with a friend, we realized we were remarkably aware of this eurocentric ideal in our developmental years, but lacked the vocabulary and understanding of intersectionality at the time. There was a tension between recognizing this standard and our inability to express our frustration towards it. The eurocentric ideal also perpetuated a hierarchy of color, so profound it affects our visual analysis, both generally and as it pertains to skin color, which are ultimately related. Light and whiteness becomes associated with goodness or purity, while brownness, blackness, and darkness are viewed as tainted or evil. This hierarchy must be acknowledged, challenged, inverted, and dismantled.