Inspiration: A Selfie, Me Too Prompt
Completed: July 2020

Media
Watercolour

During the beginning of the Covid pandemic, I began a series of self-portraits based on selfies in an effort to better understand my own facial features, facial anatomy, and my curly hair. Somewhere in this a group I am in on Facebook came up with weekly prompts to help keep us occupied. This particular theme that caught my eye was #MeToo. I have previously posted my own stories on Facebook in an effort to bring visibility to the movement, but it seemed rather therapeutic to make art about it, so I used it as another opportunity to add to this series, and do the prompt.

Despite the negative theme of the prompt I wanted to focus on my growth in relation to my stories. The photo I chose is a selfie I took on my wedding day to my now-husband. The only items I wore in the picture were my glasses, and the tiara I wore on our day. Everything else is added. I don’t even have the tattoos. Those are a part of symbolizing my growth.

• Vibrator/Rope – represents my growth into sex/kink positivity and exploration.
• Pencil – represents my art.
• Sailor Moon wand – The season this wand comes from is very easily read as a metaphor for sexual assault. I’ve always seen it as a representation of my own weapons, especially since the series plays a major part in my life, and building who I am.
• Rose – represents my acceptance of my feminine self. That it’s okay to love pink, pastels, and girly things, that all of those things can be strong, and feminist, and awesome.
• Freedom Script (above the rose) – is literal. Getting away from the people who have hurt me. Never having to have them in my life again. A reminder that I don’t need them and I am better off without them.
• Semicolon – a popular tattoo that represents mental health, and especially the recovery process.
• Infinity Heart – is a representation of my polyamory. Finding polyamory and pansexuality (the flag colours in the tattoo) and feeling… at home with myself.
• Sailor Moon Brooch – is painted blue in representation of my favourite character to remind me that even though I also feel alone often, I have a lot of great friends who stood by me during my abuse. Who were there for me when I got out of it.

It is very hard for me to post this piece since it IS so personal both visually and in meaning, but it feels time to put it out there and allow other people to see it.