Women's rights and representation are something I care so incredibly deeply about. As a teenager in the 21st century I've had my fair share of cat-calling, of comments made about me regarding my gender, of people underestimating my abilities because I'm a female, and more than anything, I've received the "oh, are you on your period?" comment way too many times.
So here's the thing. Whether I'm on my period or not is none of your business. Yes, I enjoy shopping and yes I enjoy talking about boys but I also enjoy being outdoors; I love hiking long distances, exploring new places, making art and taking photographs, meeting new people of different ages, and I even enjoy being a camp counselor and not showering for a week. I wear dresses because they make me feel like a bad-ass, I wear red lipstick because it makes me feel confident and beautiful. And I do all of these things to please myself and absolutely no one else. And still, despite my attempts to show that I'm a generally confident and strong person through the way I act, through the way I dress and treat others and carry myself, I've still been underestimated solely based on the fact that I'm a female.
For these personal reasons, and because I've seen and read about other women around me experiencing equally as degrading behavior, women's rights are something I feel very strongly about. I've been a supporter of the Guerrilla Girls for a long time, as I believe the statement they are making is incredible, it's the raw, honest, horrifying reality that women have experienced discrimination in art from the beginning, and that it is still happening today. While I've followed a lot of the Guerrilla Girl's creations over the last couple years ("The Advantages of Being a Woman Artist" being one of my favorites, as it examines this issue in a satyrical sense) it was only after reading this article that I discovered some of the truly shocking statistics about women in art. In the 2007 mock tabloid "Horror on the National Mall!" numbers were announced, showing that 98% of artists represented in the National Gallery are male, and 99.9% of them white. These numbers were not much better at nearby museums such as the Hishorn and the American Art Museum, showing that the representation of women in art still has a long way to go.
While it is true that women have more opportunities and names in art in 2015 then ever before, this still does not excuse the fact that female museum directors make 29% less than their male counterparts, and only 24% of art institutions even have female directors. (Taken from a 2014 report by the Association of Art Museum Directors) While some may argue that we should focus on the fact that times are changing, and things are slowly improving, the goal of the Guerrilla Girls is to fight until women receive equal treatment in the art world. The message of the Guerrilla Girls is that everyone in a position of power in the art world bears responsibility for the current treatment of women in the art industry, but that at the same time, everyone has a chance to improve the situation. The Guerrilla Girls host events all over the world, at galleries and universities, in libraries and public institutions, so people can see their work and be aware of the realities of being a woman in the art world. Through these exhibitions, they hope they will inspire people to take action, to join with them to solve this issue.
Ultimately, it may take many more years for women to treated fairly and equally in the art world, but thanks to groups like the Guerrilla Girls, I truly believe that it can happen. In the meantime ladies, keep doing what makes you happy, and don't let anyone tell you it's wrong. Make art that you love, dress in what makes you feel beautiful, and never let anyone tell you that you don't deserve something only because you're a woman. Never ever stop fighting for what you deserve.
So here's the thing. Whether I'm on my period or not is none of your business. Yes, I enjoy shopping and yes I enjoy talking about boys but I also enjoy being outdoors; I love hiking long distances, exploring new places, making art and taking photographs, meeting new people of different ages, and I even enjoy being a camp counselor and not showering for a week. I wear dresses because they make me feel like a bad-ass, I wear red lipstick because it makes me feel confident and beautiful. And I do all of these things to please myself and absolutely no one else. And still, despite my attempts to show that I'm a generally confident and strong person through the way I act, through the way I dress and treat others and carry myself, I've still been underestimated solely based on the fact that I'm a female.
For these personal reasons, and because I've seen and read about other women around me experiencing equally as degrading behavior, women's rights are something I feel very strongly about. I've been a supporter of the Guerrilla Girls for a long time, as I believe the statement they are making is incredible, it's the raw, honest, horrifying reality that women have experienced discrimination in art from the beginning, and that it is still happening today. While I've followed a lot of the Guerrilla Girl's creations over the last couple years ("The Advantages of Being a Woman Artist" being one of my favorites, as it examines this issue in a satyrical sense) it was only after reading this article that I discovered some of the truly shocking statistics about women in art. In the 2007 mock tabloid "Horror on the National Mall!" numbers were announced, showing that 98% of artists represented in the National Gallery are male, and 99.9% of them white. These numbers were not much better at nearby museums such as the Hishorn and the American Art Museum, showing that the representation of women in art still has a long way to go.
While it is true that women have more opportunities and names in art in 2015 then ever before, this still does not excuse the fact that female museum directors make 29% less than their male counterparts, and only 24% of art institutions even have female directors. (Taken from a 2014 report by the Association of Art Museum Directors) While some may argue that we should focus on the fact that times are changing, and things are slowly improving, the goal of the Guerrilla Girls is to fight until women receive equal treatment in the art world. The message of the Guerrilla Girls is that everyone in a position of power in the art world bears responsibility for the current treatment of women in the art industry, but that at the same time, everyone has a chance to improve the situation. The Guerrilla Girls host events all over the world, at galleries and universities, in libraries and public institutions, so people can see their work and be aware of the realities of being a woman in the art world. Through these exhibitions, they hope they will inspire people to take action, to join with them to solve this issue.
Ultimately, it may take many more years for women to treated fairly and equally in the art world, but thanks to groups like the Guerrilla Girls, I truly believe that it can happen. In the meantime ladies, keep doing what makes you happy, and don't let anyone tell you it's wrong. Make art that you love, dress in what makes you feel beautiful, and never let anyone tell you that you don't deserve something only because you're a woman. Never ever stop fighting for what you deserve.