Lil’ Blue Eyed Girl
by Marilyn Minter
Enamel on metal
30 × 24 inches, 2013.
Marilyn Minter (born 1948) is an American artist currently living and working in New York City. Her work has been featured in solo exhibitions and installations across the United States and the world, including a 2015 retrospective, “Pretty Dirty,” that will come to the Brooklyn Museum this year. She collaborated with Miley Cyrus to support Planned Parenthood of New York City.
Simone de Beauvoir famously said, “To lose confidence in one’s body is to lose confidence in oneself.” Yet there are few things as fraught for women as the relationships they have with their bodies. We decided to explore this topic by seeking out a broad range of stories relating to the body—from memories of puberty to the challenges we face when trying to make decisions related to reproductive and sexual rights. These stories show us that the body offers greater opportunities for exploration and self-expression than we might have considered.
In this issue, we interview world champion ballroom dancer Yulia Zagoruychenko about how dance has shaped her life, learn about the dangers of non-consensual pornography from Icelandic filmmaker Thordis Elva, and discover the impact of a body-focused retreat with performance artist Ingrid Reynolds.
We also travel back in time for our micro-essay feature, asking three writers to reflect on the most memorable moments of their adolescence, examine the impact of autoimmune illness with photographer and writer Jennah Ferrer-Foronda, and explore the relationship between biology and design through the work of American-Israeli designer Neri Oxman. A bold and physical mix of poetry, photography, and art puts some muscle behind these stories and complements the addition of another new feature—a movie review of Barbara Loden’s film, “Wanda.”
We hope that you connect with the stories in this issue, and that you’re able to find comfort and empowerment from the experiences they contain.
Get your copy here and share your own story with us at hello@awomensthing.org.
Your AWT Team