For the World to See, For Myself to Bleed

This sculpture, crafted with wire, clay, and yarn, showcases the unattainable expectation of a thin waist and our world’s hyperfocus on this attribute. The rib cage, sculpted from wire, serves as a symbol of this unattainable ideal, while delicate crochet flowers drape across it, their unraveling threads evoking the image of bleeding. This metaphorical representation of bleeding flowers reflect the pain and sacrifice often endured to conform to these narrow beauty standards, while their fragile crochet form symbolizes the vulnerability of self-worth under such immense pressure. Through this piece, I want to capture how society’s fixation on body image can lead to lasting wounds, both visible and invisible. The juxtaposition of hard, soft, and pliable materials structurally represent the internal conflict many women face—caught between external expectations and their own sense of identity.