Femininity through the Female Gaze
Curated by Casey Lesser
Femininity has long been seen as a detriment to women artists. Thanks to pervasive patriarchal norms, historically, it’s only served as a reminder of gender constructs, objectification, inequality, and perceived weakness. Some of art history’s most famous women artists, like Mary Cassatt and Elisabeth Vigée-Le Brun, were pigeonholed for their portrayals of femininity, while their male counterparts earned more esteem for similar subject matter. Even now, to delve into popular perceptions of femininity as a female-identifying artist feels risky—yet fruitful.
Fruitful, because the subject matter has gained contemporary nuance and meaning. Femininity is increasingly understood as something fluid, beyond gender constructs and heteronormativity. And crucially, more and more individuals who are female-identifying, LGBTQ+, and people of color are shaping visual culture, and retiring tired feminine stereotypes—like the Stepford Wife or the Valley Girl—long perpetuated by white cisgender men and women. Meanwhile, as ultrafeminine aesthetics permeate digital platforms like Instagram and TikTok, it’s become clear that presenting oneself as feminine can be an expression of power and individuality, rather than fragility and vapidness. Within this context, the concept of femininity—and, perhaps even more so, ultrafemininity—are ripe for reinterpretation in art. This online group show, coinciding with Women’s History Month, is focused on how female-identifying artists are portraying femininity today.
The featured artists demonstrate the potential to tap into the associations we have with femininity—whimsical frocks, high heels, red lips, gold jewelry, lush blooms, delicate desserts, small animals, painted nails—while generating new visions of it. There’s a certain joy and playfulness to their aesthetics that often involves shades of pink, purple, and other pastel colors, floral patterns, and a dreamlike aura; some works present as a sort of “New Rococo,” while others find parallels with the “soft girl” TikTok persona. And while descriptors like “girly girl” and “girlish” might come to mind, this work is not lacking in the sophistication, conceptual depth, or seriousness these dismissives imply. Indeed, these works draw on feminine aesthetics as a vehicle to serve up pointed critiques of female stereotypes, share fresh visions of feminism, exert identity and strength, or celebrate joy.
In paintings by the Atlanta-based artist Ariel Dannielle, who portrays the experiences of Black women, we see tender, magnetic depictions of the rituals of getting ready before a night out, like putting on a face mask or sitting down to put on makeup. Shanghai-based artist Ziqian Liu is known for taking photographs of herself with circular mirrors, often only capturing her arms or a perfect tulip, creating a sense of allure, while channeling the private act of the mirror selfie. And the New York–based painter Heidi Hahn’s recent paintings render women in moments of anger or melancholy, curled up and crying while their bodies are dotted with tiny flowers.
The artists featured here range vastly, though they share in common the ability to reflect on femininity without being defined by it.
