Touch Assignment 1 "Smoother Flesh"



"Smoother Flesh"
Acrylic on canvas 
8"x10"

"Women tend to be smoother-fleshed than men, so it makes sense that we would shave our legs and apply lotions to accentuate the gender difference." (Natural History of The Senses, Ackerman, page 87)

For this piece, I used acrylic paint on an 8x10 canvas to create a visualization of what women (or those who do not identify/ those who feel as though they have to shave) are expected to look like because of what society has set for the beauty standard. A woman stands next to a man completely covered in shaving cream, as the beauty standard typically demands a woman to be hairless from the nose down. A man stands beside her, preparing to shave only his face. At puberty, we are expected to begin shaving our legs and armpits. Many choose to shave because they like the way it feels, but when someone is shamed for not shaving, this is when an issue arises. Men experience body hair shaming as well. For instance, if a man (or other) chooses to shave, they may experience the same backlash as a woman who chose not to. Regardless, it is undeniable that it is widely accepted that women should shave and men should not. 

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