A Piece By Namowa

In an effort to understand my own body, I wanted to create a piece that captures how I feel as a woman in this world; silenced and measured only by her posture. Forever, women are told ‘what's on the inside also matters,’ but that seems irrelevant when a man asks my name while simultaneously staring right past my answer and directly through my chest, looking me up and down hoping I won't notice. Even in a world where we think we are different, we are still only measured by the silver lining that paints our precious female figures and a voice hidden behind our kissable lips. This piece shows a real life female figure, painted and reflected upon itself. This headless body, silenced and with no mouth to speak, is meant to evoke reflection; reflect on how you have been silenced. Reflect on how you might have silenced someone. Reflect on how your silent body has hindered your voice’s growth. Reflect on how you can change. We are all people struggling to have our voices heard, and with a time of reflection, I pray that my brothers have the humility and kindness to yield their voice, and my sisters have the courage and advocacy to accept the challenge. Because silence is when speaking becomes most needed.