“giddy” // digital photograph, 3/3/24

I’ve always examined femininity from the perspective of showmanship. To be feminine is to inhabit a certain aesthetic, a certain persona; one that often times is forced onto women through societal obstacles and by influential people. In a similar fashion, cowboys have always cosplayed and put on the appearance of what a cowboy “should be”: big-rimmed hat, boots, bandana. Cowboys wear a costume to be considered authentic in a similar way women wear a costume to be considered feminine. “giddy” examines the way in which these two correlate; it poses the question of why this performative behavior is regarded as the only measure of authenticity and femininity in our culture. The mannequin head painted in high glamour makeup represents the idea of women dressing like a doll, as if there is no human being behind the lashes and lipstick.