Beauty or Bondage

This piece - made of handmade paper on canvas - shows a contemplative woman looking at a picture on the wall. The picture depicts the folklore character of Lileth. In feminist folklore Lilith was the first wife of Adam. She became an icon in modern feminist folklore for leaving Adam in the Garden of Eden because she refused to be subservient to him. Some accounts hold that Lilith was the woman implied in Genesis that was made from the same soil as Adam. Hence, she believed that they were created equal, both from the dust of the earth. Here the woman is wondering what Lileth would do if she was in similar circumstances. But we don't know - only Lileth does!

This piece features a handmade mask made of paper mache; the rings made of actual metal. In Burma (now Myanmar) there’s a unique form of abuse in the name of beauty - another form of bondage - among the Kayan women there. Kayan girls typically begin wearing brass collars around the age of five or six, although some have them started even younger. When they hit puberty, the brass collars are replaced with the more painful rings to stretch their necks in the name of beauty. The weight of the rings pushes the collar bone down, and can cause the vertebrae in the spine to collapse. Two decades ago the Karenni people (which includes the Kayan) started a civil war with the Burmese government; since then they have lived in the northern hills of Thailand. The Thai government has them in guarded villages where they are subject to a different kind of oppression - on display to tourists so the Thai government can make money off of them.

This piece is a reflection of the artist’s personal evolution as a feminist, weaving together memories, symbols, and historical references to explore the forces that shaped her awareness of gender inequality. Raised in the American Midwest, Hayes spent her childhood climbing trees, building forts, and embracing the outdoors with unrestrained joy. But upon entering Catholic school in junior high, she encountered a world where boys were prioritized both in class and in the strict hierarchy that placed women in subordinate roles beneath priests and altar boys. Being treated as “less than” was in stark contrast to how she had felt in her pre-teen years. The central figure in the collage is modeled after Hayes’ youngest daughter. The figure holds a small book - an interactive element that invites viewers to turn its delicate pages. Inside, the book serves as a timeline of feminist thought and activism, featuring iconic works such as The Feminine Mystique and The Second Sex, along with movements such as the suffragists’ fight for womens’ right to vote and the founding of the National Organization for Women (NOW). The piece reinforces the intergenerational nature of the feminist progress, as Hayes herself has raised three feminist daughters. Through its layered storytelling and personal symbolism (note the “Women’s Issues” text subtly layered throughout the background), “An Awakening” captures a journey of awakening - one that moves from childhood innocence to an understanding of systemic oppression and, ultimately, empowerment. By blending the personal with the historical, Hayes invites the viewer to reflect on their own paths and the ongoing fight for equality.

This piece is made of Washi papers, set against a background of Chinese characters. The photogrqphs in the center are of Lotus shoes and an article that describes the practice. The prevalence and practice of foot-binding was popular in China for hundreds of years, primarily from the 1600’s to the mid 1900’s. Foot binding was considered a mark of feminine beauty, and a prerequisite for finding a husband, although it severely limited the mobility of women and created lifelong physical disabilities. By the early 1900’s 50% of all Chinese women, and 100% of those in the upper classes, had their feet bound. The ideal length for women’s feet was called “The Golden Lotus” and was about 4.3 inches. One cultural result of the practice was the decline in the art of women’s dance in China. In 1912 the practice was banned by the government although in many places in China it continued to be practiced into the 1950’s It continued, although against the law, into the 1990’s as evidenced by the fact that the last lotus shoe factory, which made lotus shoes for foot bound women, did not close until 1999.

This piece shows an actual antique dickie with beads. In the background are drawings done by the artist of nudes, done on rice paper. The artist states: "In the 1940’s I had an aunt, a beautiful woman, who dressed up to go to work every day. Like my own mother, she owned and wore several dickies. Dickies were developed to cover up women’s decolletage - a French word meaning “expose the neck.” I consider this a beautiful part of a woman. The dickies were beautiful too but their purpose beautifully illustrates the Beauty or Bondage dichotomy. We don’t have to cover up the female body - it’s a beautiful thing.

This clock shows the juxtaposition of contemporary "Come Fuck Me" shoes with the Lotus shoes of China. How misguided is our society, encouraging girls and women to wear high heels, and thereby do horrible things to their feet - and to their bodies in general! High heels syndrome is caused by the overuse of high heels which can lead to a range of injuries and deformities. The injuries include stress fractures and ankle sprains, and anatomical issues with knees, hips and the lower back. Deformities include such things as hammertoes and claw toes, bunions, corns, and ingrown toenails. Extra force on the joints can lead to osteoarthritis.

This striking multimedia piece challenges the viewer to examine the Catholic Church’s historical relationship with women’s bodies. At its center, the solemn image of the Pope looms over fragmented depictions of the naked female form - figures that have been deemed “impure” by religious doctrine unless presented in the context of motherhood or saintliness. At the top of the composition, women crowned with haloes symbolize the Church’s limited acceptance of female purity, an ideal that’s historically tied to reproduction and the expansion of the Catholic faith. The phrase “Gag Rules” appears prominently in the piece, referencing policies that have silenced conversations about reproductive rights. THe term originates from laws restricting discussions on birth control and abortion, particularly in countries where Catholic influence remains strong. One of the most well-known examples is The Global Gag Rule, a US policy that has, at various points in history, blocked foreign organizations receiving American aid from offering or even discussing abortion services. Similar regulations exist is other nations, limiting access to contraception and reproductive healthcare. By juxtaposing the beauty of the female body with the rigid authority of the Catholic Church, The Patriarchal Authority critiques a history in which women’s autonomy has been constrained by religious power. The work invites reflection on how control over the female form has been used as a tool of oppression - and challenges the idea that its natural state should be censored or condemned.

This piece shows a Maasai necklace on handmade paper; the background is a negative of a photograph the artist took of Maasai women on a trip to Africa. The picture shows different kinds of beads, and represents the cultural oppression of the women of the Maasai tribes in Africa. On a visit to Kenya the artist visited a Masai village and witnessed the beautiful crafts of the women of the tribe. Despite her desire to talk with the women, they were not allowed to talk with her as a male was the spokesman who spoke of their crafts and took the money from the tourists The Maasai culture is a patriarchal culture that views women as property; a man’s wealth is measured in cattle, wives, and children. Circumcising women is still a widespread practice. Young women undergo female genital mutilation as a rite of passage (called “Emuatare”). Most Maasai men reject any females that have not undergone this, considering them not worthy of marriage. Once married, the women are responsible for the daily household chores and cooking, child-rearing, and the time-consuming and burdensome task of collecting firewood and clean water each and every day. The artist states: “I bought a necklace made with beads and metal wire, and have always considered it similar to a chain around the necks of the Masai women.”

This piece is a reflection of the baggage many women carry. Most little girls are raised with the fairy tales of Cinderella and Snow White and believe that someday they are going to meet their prince, fall in love, and live happily ever after. But who ever actually lives like that? We grow up and carry who and what we thought we were supposed to be. The knitting around her shoulders represents the baggage that she carries, and the red shoes are representative of the conflict between an artist’s profession and her personal life. In 1948 The Red Shoes was a famous movie about a balled dancer who dies after having to choose between her career and her lover. It is considered one of the greatest films of all time (voted the ninth best film of all time by the British Film Institute in 1999). It is related toHans Christian Anderson’s story, The Girl, The Boy, and the Shoemaker” which depicts an orphan who receives an “inappropriate” pair of red shoes that she dances in, day and night, at the expense of normal human relationships. This is not to say that there aren’t many happy marriages, just that they’re not the fairy tales of childhood.

In this piece, the artist presents a powerful critique of society’s relentless and unattainable beauty standards for women. At the center of the piece, 3-D baby doll faces sit fixed on fashion model bodies, atop a spinning carousel, symbolizing the early conditioning of girls to conform to rigid ideals of femininity. Surrounding them, fashion model figures pose in exaggerated, high-fashion stances - frozen in a cycle of expectation and performance. The carousel becomes a metaphor for the never-ending pressure placed on women to achieve an unrealistic standard of beauty: tall, slim, fit, and forever polished. The messages of the media, the fashion industry, and cultural norms create an unceasing ride from childhood to adulthood - one that often results in damaging consequences, including eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. The work highlights how - from infancy - women are objectified, molded, and measured against an impossible physical standard, instead of being valued for their character and other internal qualities.. Through its layered textures and symbolic imagery, The Merry-Go-Round forces viewers to confront the consequences of a world that commodifies women’s bodies. This piece challenges the audience to step off the ride, to question the ideals imposed upon them, and to reclaim autonomy over their own definitions of beauty and worth.

In this piece, the artist presents a powerful critique of society’s relentless and unattainable beauty standards for women. At the center of the piece, 3-D baby doll faces sit fixed on fashion model bodies, atop a spinning carousel, symbolizing the early conditioning of girls to conform to rigid ideals of femininity. Surrounding them, fashion model figures pose in exaggerated, high-fashion stances - frozen in a cycle of expectation and performance. The carousel becomes a metaphor for the never-ending pressure placed on women to achieve an unrealistic standard of beauty: tall, slim, fit, and forever polished. The messages of the media, the fashion industry, and cultural norms create an unceasing ride from childhood to adulthood - one that often results in damaging consequences, including eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. The work highlights how - from infancy - women are objectified, molded, and measured against an impossible physical standard, instead of being valued for their character and other internal qualities.. Through its layered textures and symbolic imagery, The Merry-Go-Round forces viewers to confront the consequences of a world that commodifies women’s bodies. This piece challenges the audience to step off the ride, to question the ideals imposed upon them, and to reclaim autonomy over their own definitions of beauty and worth.

This piece, made with handmaid Japanese rice paper (Washi paper) and using the softness of pastels, represents the softness of femininity. It is symbolic of a happy marriage where, behind the beauty, there’s a shadow many have to face. This shadow includes secrets such as marital violence and emotional abuse, coercive control, and sexual abuse. A wedding quilt was often made by a group of women to be given to the bride as a wish for a happy marriage. On the right hand side of this piece, beneth the quilt, the handmade paper has been molded to a give a glimpse of those shadows.