A flower's job is to just exist and look pretty.
"But I do not want to look pretty; it is not my responsibility. I do not want my appearance to be a currency, traded for the attention of men, and a chance to serve them. I want to be free of society's expectations of me. I do not want to be beautiful; I want to be myself."
"Sure sweetheart, whatever you say. Now shut up and look pretty for me."
Shut Up And Look Pretty For Me (2023) is the latest conceptual project of visual artist Alexandra Sarah. Via a series of surreal portraits, the artist addresses the age-old toxic relationship of women and beauty, and the catastrophic damage this relationship has caused. Since time immemorial, from fairy tales to advertisements, from fashion to mass media, the poisonous message has been one: that women are meant to be looked at and not seen.
It starts at a young age; little girls are put in fancy dresses, and then told not to run, not to climb, not to play so they don't dirt their lavish clothing, or someone looks up their skirts. Girls are not allowed to be children; rather they are taught early on that they are ornaments, meant to be cute and clean and pleasant to the eye. And this follows all girls throughout their life. While simultaneously being a psychologist, a mother, a maid, a cook, women have to above all be arm candy; appealing, fresh, and ready for consumption at will.
A flower's job is to just exist and look pretty. But the Venus flytrap chose violence.
