Abstract

This thesis investigates what it means to be hyper-visible yet completely overlooked in relation to appearance, gender, and intellect. The work embraces the decorative as it appears in visual art and in the surrounding domestic environment, as well as the often-dismissed aesthetics of girlhood—including the glitter, rebellion, and contradictions that accompany its cultural formulation. My intention is to navigate the expectations placed on femininity and its representation in both art and society. This includes the concept of feminized labor; the ways in which work associated with women is treated and valued; and how pop culture catered toward women is more openly scrutinized within contemporary culture and social media. These ideas provide an important framework for how I currently think about and create art. Through this body of work, I both criticize and embrace the nostalgia of my own girlhood and examine how it has influenced my present sense of self. The goal of my thesis is to demonstrate how aesthetic choices commonly associated with girlhood—pink, glitter, rhinestones, pattern, and overt decoration—can also be understood as declarations of identity, defiance, and joy.

Publication Date

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Fine Arts Studio (MFA)

Department, Program, or Center

Art, School of

College

College of Art and Design

Advisor

Denton Crawford

Advisor/Committee Member

Amy McLaren

Advisor/Committee Member

Elizabeth Kronfield

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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