BLUSH

“Blush” is an exploration of girlhood and voice. Photographing real moments in the lives of my daughters, I reference feelings from my own girlhood about being seen and heard. I’m curious about how cultural conditioning limits self expression, how beauty relates to power, and how girls can feel more empowered to use their voice. “Blush” is motivated by my desire to change the meaning of the messages my daughters are receiving about so-called “feminine” traits. 

Research shows that starting at age 6, girls begin to internalize cultural messages about their capability and between the ages of 8 and 14, girls’ confidence falls by 30 percent. Patriarchal ideologies devalue stereotypically feminine traits such as care, empathy, gentleness, and inclusion and reward stereotypically masculine traits such as assertiveness, toughness, and competitiveness. This hurts all genders.

“Blush” explores several meanings of “blush” in the context of girlhood: 1) To have flushed cheeks from shame, modesty, or embarrassment, usually because of not conforming to social expectations; 2) A cosmetic applied to cheeks to give a pink colour; and 3) A blooming or flowering state.

Growing up in North American pop culture of the late 70’s and 80’s I consumed stories where women were rarely subjects. These stories implied that boys and men were more important, that male voices mattered more, and that loud voices get heard. When women were represented, it was often their beauty that was the subject.

I’m interested in looking at what holds our voices back. On a personal level, I’ve noticed a strong relationship between anxiety and voice. As a little girl, I often experienced anxiety that manifested in my breath where I felt like I could not get enough air. I had a recurring dream where I wasn’t able to speak because my mouth was filled with bubblegum. Breath feeds the voice. Nervous system regulation has been a lifelong journey for me and I’m only now beginning to find calm and power in my breath and my voice.

Girls are (still) taught by North American culture to pendulate between appearances and disappearances and to conform to beauty ideals that mask their authentic selves. As I witness my daughters growing up around the roar of masculinity and cultural expectations about who they should be, I encourage them to learn how to hear and use their own voice and to recognize and trust the power that their voices carry.