“I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.”
~Rebecca West
PROVING ONE’S SELF
In my personal experience, there have been times where I have had to work twice as hard, study twice as long, and push much harder to be recognized as equally capable as my male peers.
In the early years of the tech industry in a town where women were valued more for staying home, I was a network analyst. The assumption of capability was automatically given to my male counterparts, whereas I had to prove myself over and over again.
SELF-SABOTAGE
During that time, I also had several self-imposed limitations. I imagine it was partially due to cultural and societal stigmas. I agreed with those “less-than” collective beliefs that were imposed upon women. I wasn’t big enough. I wasn’t strong enough. (Oddly enough, I DID think I was smart enough, lol).
Life continued to give me opportunities to see the fallacies in those beliefs. Little by little those beliefs were chipped away revealing thoughts of strength and capacity.
YEARNING TO BE SET FREE
When I originally set out to make this pendant, I was going to fully encase the figure in a circle. However, she said “No!” Enough constraining! She’s breaking free. She does not need to remain in her self-limiting or societal limiting structures. She is strong and capable and she knows it.
ENDING THE CYCLE
As she continued to reveal her story to me, she also wanted to acknowledge the years of imprisonment she experienced. She needed to show that she broke free of the bonds. She broke free of her cell. The setting for this piece tells that story.
SUCCESS!
She has broken free! How many self-limiting thoughts do you still carry around? What about collective thoughts about oppression or being less than? Let her be your guide to break free.
Breaking Free Cloisonne Reversible Pendant