Sex Ed

In this final series, I sought to study the female body in its different stages, and how the way we learn about bodies evolves as we grow. The series, titled Sex Ed, is a set of four 20x30 collage pieces. Each has writing from different educational sources. The first looks at how children learn about bodies – there is little to no talk about sex, but rather nutrition, health and safety. The second uses text that would be used in a preteen health class to talk about puberty. The third goes onto more mature topics such as consent and birth control. And the last piece addresses how women self educate themselves through the internet, with advice columns pulled from women’s magazines.

The figures on the pieces each have an intentionally distinct look. The details of the bodies reflect on how women at particular life stages perceive the body. Through this, I communicate the transition from innocence and insecurity to knowledge and confidence. A particular element I included in each figure was different hairstyles. This is a personal touch to the series, as each hairstyle represents a hair style that I had at each of these stages in my own life. As a black woman, hair can be a very significant part of my identity, and for me, each of these hairdos serves as reminders of who I once was and who I am becoming.

The idea for my final project was not initially this one. I was inspired to change topics after having a conversation with a few of my female friends about what sex ed was like at our respective schools. Some people were raised with little to no information about sexual health, while others learned a lot from their schools, parents or friends. The conversation got me thinking, and made me realize that what we know and don’t know about our bodies can seriously affect how we see ourselves. Not enough information can make us feel as though we are not normal, and may even make us fear our own bodies. The more we know about our bodies, the more we can understand why they are the way they are, and therefore become more able to love ourselves.

I made sure to lend the overall tone of the piece to the aspect of education by combining text with textbook like drawings of the figure. The first piece shows the most basic image of the female body imaginable, one that most children see when they are in elementary school – no detail or body hair at all. The other drawings in the series maintain a similar style, except show a more accurate view of what the female body is like at these stages, capturing both the visual aspect and the overall feeling a woman may feel through the pose being used.

Through this series, I wanted to explore the body in its physical, academic form, while also exploring the emotional side about how women feel about their bodies. The experience of creating these works was a very eye-opening experience for me – writing and typing all the things I have learned about my body throughout my life refreshed my memory and took me back to when I first learned about those things.