Projection: Shy, Vivacious, Sexy

by Elizabeth Colburn

“Projection: Shy, Vivacious, Sexy confronts the sexualization of women in contemporary culture, highlighting the urgency surrounding women’s voices while illustrating the tension between beauty and discomfort. The print features the recognizable playboy symbol paired with fluorescent colors and protective, darker shadows, critiquing how society and consumer culture restrict their voices while objectifying them. The prints are connected to a broader history of female critique that spans generations, influenced by artists like Barbara Kruger and the Guerrilla Girls, as well as the voice of "Our Bodies, Ourselves" by the Boston Women’s Health Collective. Moreover, printmaking, with its long history of activism and widespread communicative power, helps bring this issue into a public, accessible space. The print itself serves as both a protest and a testimony to critical discourse, challenging ignorance and holding culture responsible for its portrayal of femininity within the context of capitalism. And through mass media and advertising, capitalistic culture perpetuates idealized images of femininity that both exploit and silence women, turning identity into a consumable aesthetic rather than a lived experience.”