Gender Role Reversal

My work is about exposing the obscenities that surround female identity. By using gender role reversal I am providing the viewer with the opportunity to question how they value men versus women, as well as understand how the viewer might be perceived by others.

How would you view your self if super heroes were usually women? If men often prioritized their appearance and women were acceptable with minimal effort, how would you view yourself?

How would you view a female with several boyfriends? How do you view the boyfriends that agree to share her?

This series is a continuation of the book "Look, This is Not My World."

Before Written Records

Vincent at His Mirror

Victor's Secret

Date Night Movie

Picture Day

Commercial Break

Halloween

Mother's Magazine 1

Mother's Magazine 2

Local Bar

Family Restaurant

Book - This is Not My World

These images were created for a bookmaking class. The gender roles were reversed by taking cliche images of women in the media and replacing them with men. I invite the viewer to ask themselves how they view sexualized men. From the response we have a more clear understanding of how we typically value males as well as how we typically value females.

CoverGirls

Change for the Better - 2012
An Animate Life - 2012
Life Gave Me Lemons - 2010
Fear is My Biggest Enemy - 2010
Cover Girls - 2010

Smoking Poster Series

These posters were created in 2009 and illustrate the experiences of my self & friends with smoking.

Ill-Logic

Catch 22

Sex Machine

Dressed to Kill

Coughing

Lonesome

Security

Artist Statement

Since moving to Miami in 2001, I have become more concerned with the manner in which females are portrayed through imagery and in relation viewed in reality. Observation and personal experience lead me to believe there is a great need for positive female imagery that is free from the male-gaze.

Each piece begins with the intent to narrate a situation involving gender inequality. Various mediums such as video, stenciling, installation and posters are used to create thought provoking, sometimes paradoxical meanings. For example, dolls are photographed in non-traditional environments, such as in front of a 30" television, or riding a motorcycle through the Everglades. Sewing floss is used to illustrate men performing lewd gestures on a 5 x 5 foot tapestry. My work allows the viewer to "hear" the stories of individual females and how they respond to issues surrounding female identity.

Currently I’m examining different conceptual strategies used by artists who also address identity. Some of the artists I am in dialogue with are Jamie Vesta, Kara Walker, Ellen Gallagher, Cindy Sherman and Barbara Kruger. As I produce more work, it has been beneficial to examine techniques such as deconstructing stereotypes, reinforcing stereotypes, humor and role reversal. My vision is to create imagery that provides positive examples of how females can address these issues.

CoverGirls

This video is about social pressure and trying to be the female ideal. The characters are based on both observation and personal experience.

CoverGirls from Michelle Roy on Vimeo.

Killer Cook

This apron is my reaction to assigned female gender roles. It is my version of the tuxedo shirt, humorously worn by guys that prefer comfortable clothing over conforming to traditional norms. A feminine black, retro style apron was used to signify rebellion of traditional gender roles. The stenciling was inspired by the political graffiti artist Banksy.

 

Male Pedestrian

Many women I've spoke with have received unwanted attention while walking in public. Objectifying remarks and surveillance are common experiences. This installation explores the technique of using role reversal to provide the viewer with a new perspective on the issue. The woman from Female Sign has been replaced with a male who is receiving unwanted attention from stronger more aggressive sub-characters. How does the viewer feel about men who appear vulnerable and fiscally objectified?

Female Pedestrian

This installation was created  to tell my experience when objectified in public. I chose to use sewing as the medium to reclaim my identity as well as signify a lack of evolution in terms of flirtatious games. Cat calls are commonly justified as a compliment though often it is unwanted attention. Most women I know prefer "Good morning" over "I know what I'd like to do to that." "The text, inspired by Burgers' Ways of Seeing reads, "I just want to 'be,' not 'be seen as," "desirable, but not coveted," and "to be loved but not for my body."

Joy

This image was created as a reaction to consumer driven advertising. I wanted to get the idea out there that there was an "other ideal" where women can have wrinkles, be happy and unapologetically embrace their aging appearance.

 Joy at Art Miami 2011.

Joy at Cane Fest 2011.

Floor Mat

This installation was inspired by Judy Chicago and Miriam Shapiro's Woman House from the 1970's. The text repeatedly states "I didn't want to make a big deal." The concept stems from conversations that asked "At what point is it more important to take care of myself instead of others?" It was created in the shape of a breast, as a symbol of the ultimate form of self sacrifice.

Fear is my Biggest Enemy

This video was created to show a heroic example of female coping mechanisms. This particular piece was inspired by my grandma's epiphany while staying at a casino hotel and panicking because she was unable to stand up from a low seat. The next morning she was so sleepy she got up with out thinking. Her realization was that fear was her greatest enemy. Later that day she handed over her walking cane and with assistance climbed up my cousin's ATV and went for a ride through a steep and bumpy forest. It was inspiring to see her taking unusual risks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sryhhECniG8

Life Gave Me Lemons

This video was created to tell the story of world ranked tennis star Judy Flook who uses humor and love for music to cope in stressful situations. The idea came as a reaction to the multitude of pop-culture entertainment that is infused with negative role models and lack of positive coping mechanisms.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DilcwjWJrx8

Expand Your Potential: Beauty

My work is about creating positive examples of coping mechanisms. This piece was designed to sell a true lifestyle. It is a reaction to modern marketing that sells fictitious lifestyles through consumption.

Claire Hunt and the Christmas Tale

This image was inspired by my grandma's older twin brothers. It was Christmas Eve in the 1920's. Teenagers Ray and Len were running through the house with shot guns yelling "We saw Santa. He just flew over the neighbor's roof." They ran out the front door, shooting off their guns and claiming to have shot one of the reindeer.

My Parents’ Vacation

Book illustrations

Fisherman

Soft pastels and colored pencils.
Fisherman

Mary J. Blige

Soft Pastels and colored pencils. 
Mary J. Blige from "The Tour" in 1998

Stair Sliding

Illustration of an experienced stair slider

Frog and Toad

Book Cover re-do