The purpose behind this piece is to take a more humorous approach towards criticizing what society deems as "ladylike". I have personally experienced being told that acting a certain way doesn't make me a lady (which by its main definition is simply a polite way to refer to a woman) to which I've had to rebut time and time again, "I am woman, which makes me a lady, which makes what I do ladylike, dammit!" The lamp depicts several cats licking themselves while at a tea party, which is intended to have various interpretations, all alluding to feminism and sexuality.
CRYSTAL GIRALDO
One of the biggest struggles I face almost on a daily basis is being able to fully and truly love myself. The inspiration behind this piece (and the story behind the title) is a short saying my grandmother used to say to me in Spanish. Translated to English it is “love yourself woman." I wanted this piece to be a reminder to myself and all the women and girls that see it to love themselves. I want them to know that it is not despite their flaws, but because of their flaws (along with all the other awesome things about them) they are beautifully woman, both inside and out.
I was inspired to draw this piece after biting into the massive strawberry (pictured on the left) and seeing its resemblance to the human female vagina. This piece serves as a representation of the vagina’s primary function, the reproductive, and its secondary function, the sexual. The fruit and its seeds are a metaphor of a woman’s fertility and the wonderful ability she has to give life. I chose to draw the strawberry while still holding it in order to send a more literal message; a woman should have full control over her sexual organs, and her choices and decisions are completely in her hands.
© CRYSTAL GIRALDO