Erika Rios. Sexuality and the Body as a Form of Liberation

I am from New Jersey and am a sophomore at Princeton. My major is Latin American History and I am pursuing a certificate in the Program of Latin American Studies and a certificate in Contemporary European Politics.

Sexuality and the Body as a Form of Liberation:  A Critical Analysis of Art and Print as Resistance

 

Introduction

Favianna Rodriguez, a California-based Peruvian artist and activist, describes a two-fold purpose for her art. First, she uses it as a tool for resisting misogynistic, racist, and sex shaming ideology through the representation of Latin American women whom she calls “women of color.” Rodriguez creates, distributes, and popularizes her art as a grassroots-based effort to bring about social change through education, awareness, and discussion 1. Her work reshapes the non-white female identity as something limited and tyrannized by suffering and “made” beautiful through sexual liberation and active resistance of patriarchal oppression. The means for this resistance must originate from an entirely female foundation—a “beautifying” process of women strengthening women and taking proud ownership over their sexual desires. Rodriguez’s work argues for an understanding of female sexuality as something inseparable from the physical female form and the body as inseparable from female identity. A selection of three Rodriguez’s prints represent this “process” of liberation, from oppressed (Maquila) to self-discovery (Del Ojo No Se Escapa Nadie) to empowerment (I’m a slut. I vote).

Analysis of Prints

Favianna Rodriguez. Maquila.

One of Rodriguez’s famous prints, Maquila,is a response to the rampant femicide in the small city of Juárez, Mexico. 2. Since 2010, over 465 women were reported murdered in Ciudad Juárez, with a large majority of them raped and tortured (Rizzo, 2011). The 2010 wave of homicide is part of a tragic tradition of female slayings that has plagued Juárez for decades (Rizzo, 2011). In Maquila, Rodriguez juxtapositions the Mestizo Mexican women faces—detailed with passive and defeated expressions—with the bodies of animals. Their non-white profiles are highlighted through large lips and wider, rounder noses. Although there are five female figures in the print, each facing each other, they are all shown as isolated.  No individual appears engaged with any of the other women.  Instead, their eyes are trained downward, to the conveyer belt they sit upon. The lack of expression within them forces the viewer to wonder if the figures themselves know where they are.

Rodriguez describes the depiction of women as animals as a metaphor. Sitting atop the assembly line with the image of factory buildings in the background, these women have no control over themselves. The belt they are positioned on takes possession of their bodies and transforms them into products for other people’s use. Their lack of movement and blank eyes demonstrates a possession of their mind as well. What are these women trapped by? It is more than just the murderers of Juárez but rather the motivating logic behind the murders: that others have the right to take possession over the female body and, therefore, the female identity.

One of the main points of Rodriguez’s writing is the experience of shame trapping the expression of “true” womanhood. Rodriguez is arguing that women are constantly shamed for feeling or acting upon sexual urges and possessing sexualized bodies 3. Sara Ahmed’s work in “Shame Before Others: Cultural Politics of Emotion” analyzes shame as a physical sentiment (2004). The literal term defines “shame” as “covering.” The women’s bodies are not visible to the viewer, cloaked under the bodies of animals and hidden by the shame imposed upon them and, according to Ahmed (2004). This shame is what encourages women to distance themselves from their sexuality and agency (Ahmed 2004).  It is, Rodriguez insists, “that constant negative voice that doesn’t let you flourish” (See Footnote 3 above). The figures on the conveyer belt have been trapped by a patriarchal society that makes claims over them based on their gender and sexuality. They remain trapped because of the guilt imposed upon them. Depicted as sedentary figures, there is no resistance in this piece—just passive submission to shame.

Favianna Rodriguez. El Ojo de Dios.

The second print, Del Ojo No Se Escapa Nadie, marks a progression towards female agency. The figure in this picture is shedding the “guilt” that comes with accepting her sexuality. The woman’s legs are spread open and her nude body is positioned on top of a bed. Rodriguez painted eyes the sexualized parts of her body—the vagina and breasts—as proof that the body and sexuality cannot be separated.  The genitals replaced by eyes (the “windows into the soul”) symbolize the union between sexuality and the body with female identity. Ojo shows a woman ready to engage in sex and the vantage point of the print allows the viewer to see the women in the same way her sexual partner would. The title of the piece (No One Can Escape the Eyes) elevates the eye to a constant presence—the mind and personality of the sexually liberated woman cannot be removed from sex. This woman’s partner may have sex with her, but it is because of her own control over her own body and self.  Furthermore, When Rodriguez refers to this eye as “God’s Eye,” she is using religion to promote sexuality as something natural and correct—a reclaiming of the sexuality as part of God’s own creation and criticism on the “shaming” culture that represses God’s will for women.

Unlike the immobile women in Maquila, the woman in Ojo is in movement. She curls her tongue upward and holds her own legs up and off the bed. She has taken action to shed her guilt and discover her sexual freedom. Rodriguez’s work is devoted to the idea of finding “the self” through female sexuality.  Much of her own autobiographical work relates to this experience of sexual liberation, which Rodriguez coins as “slut positivity” 4. She describes her own sexual liberation as a “journey…to shed that shame and embrace the complex creature I am” (See Footnote 3 above). Rodriguez embraces this “embrace” as “feeling like a slut who just came out [of] the closet. I felt good, empowered, able to be my full self…even if that…made others uncomfortable” (see Footnote 4 above). The process of owning up to female sexuality, in other words, is inadvertently the same process of discovering the “true” identity.

How does a woman obtain “beauty” now that she has embraced her sexuality? Of the body, Rodriguez writes, “My temple that is my body is my lifelong container…I’m understanding how it rebuilds it self ” 5. In this case, the “container” mediates the woman’s sexuality and flourishes under sexual (and thus bodily) freedom, but how does the body “rebuild it self” in beauty? Perhaps most revealing is blog entry about International Women’s Day in 2006 6. In trying to dispel media and consumer propelled notions of beauty, Rodriguez tries to show the “beauty identity.” She writes that it is, “authentic, real, powerful, strong, courageous, exposed, vulnerable – peeling away layers to expose the truest self” (See footnote 6 above). Beauty, in other words, is a relentless process that involves the elimination of shame and the acceptance and protection of the sexually liberated self that emerges. By tying sexuality and the body together and using sexuality as resistance, Rodriguez also positions the physical form, by extension, as a form of resistance.

Favianna Rodriguez. I’m a Slut. I Vote.

Rodriguez acknowledges that the body is naturally potent. She quotes “The Pussy Power Manifesto” in her blog, writing, “the pussy is powerful” 7. Rodriguez’s third piece embodies this theme. Inspired by conservative political movements to limit women’s access to health care and sexual education, the print, I’m a slut. I vote., reveals a portrait of a non-white woman positioned against words of resistance. Free from the oppression of Maquila and sexually awakened like in Ojo, this woman’s resistance to patriarchal subjugation makes her beautiful. The woman in I’m a slut. bears none of the shame that traps the first figures. Instead, she stares directly into the eyes of the viewer, unashamed and strong. Her head, unlike the other prints, is not in profile but facing forward fiercely. The words she is endorsing are fighting words. She takes her sexuality and openly celebrates it—“I’m a slut”—and then uses it to grant herself agency and a voice—“I vote. So does everyone I sleep with”—that is transformed into resistance—“And you’re about to be more fucked than I am. Keep ur government off my pussy.”

Conclusion: Methods of Representation

Rodriguez’s work has two problematic gaps. First, although all three pictures depict non-white Latin American women, Rodriguez usually refers to these women as “POC (people of color)” or “WOC (women of color)” (See footnote 6 above). A myriad of terms to describe the different types of “non-white” exist within Latin America and, although Rodriguez does operate within both Latin America and the United States (See footnote 1 above), she identifies herself as a “WOC”—an expression not found within Latin America 8. Favianna Rodriguez is in fact very concerned about race within Latin American women. In her blog entry entitle “Should feminist art about women & health include sex work, masturbation, polyamory, & porn? EveryBody exhibit opens in MN” (see footnote 8 above) she expresses her intentions of adding to the existing gender and race studies. Does that fall flat in practice?

The origin of the “people of color” term is grounded in white, European history. The word first appears in the late 18thcentury in reference to slavery and moves to the U.S through British colonization (Safire 1988). It was popularized as part of the Civil Rights movement through Martin Luther King’s speech, “I have a dream,” where Dr. King referred to African Americans as “citizens of color” (Safire, 1988). What place does this “white” term have in Latin American discourse? In the advice she gives on her blog for aspiring activist artists, Rodriguez gives two recommendations. The first is that, “posters…are often able to draw comparisons between the society we DO and DON’T want” and the second is that “their messages are often a call for collective identity” 9. By imposing the “POC/WOC” label on women who are not “women of color” but in fact identify with Latin American terms, Favianna Rodriguez also dilutes the problematic aspects of being a Latin American woman and equates it with the same problems felt in North America and other white-countries where “people of color” exist in minorities. Doing so does not educate on the struggles of racism and misogyny is Latin America but instead misinforms the viewer by pushing a “collective identity” dominated by non-Latin American struggle. It also enforces the American/European ideal (“the society we DO want” that is presented in her posters) upon people who have historically had to operate under their colonizing thumb.

The second problem with her work is the audience it reaches. The art review in data 4.2 praises Rodriguez’s edgy work but also points out its limitations. These brazen images do not educate those who are uneducated about the Latin American female’s struggle but hearten those who are already enraged by it. An understanding of sexual liberation, reproductive rights movements, and the femicide in Juárez was necessary in deconstructing these three prints. As Utine’s review puts it, “The ones who getit, already got it” 10. Additionally, written mostly in English and seen mostly through computers or art galleries, Rodriguez’s artwork and workshops are mostly unavailable to the marginalized women she is often representing. Although Rodriguez has travelled to Latin America—even to Mexico to discuss the femicide in Juárez (see data file 10 above)—her lectures in Universities still neglect a lot of her target audience.

In conclusion, Rodriguez does a successful job of demonizing “sex shaming” and encouraging women to empower themselves. Her notion of “beauty” as something achievable through sexual freedom and resistance makes it reasonably accessible and refreshing within the existing feminine studies discourse. Her treatment of resistance is also founded on positive ideals of body acceptance and celebration but what does this do for the Latin American women currently living under conditions of sexual oppression and misogyny? Rodriguez provides interesting food for thought for the POC/WOC people she identifies with but she misses the mark when it comes to effecting changes within the Latin American community.

Bibliography

Ahmed, S. (2004) “Shame Before Others” in The Cultural Politics of Emotions. (London and New York: Routledge), pp 101-121.

Hobson, J. (2001) “The ‘Batty’ Politic; Towards an Aesthetic of the Black Female Body,” Venus in the dark: blackness and beauty in popular culture, 629-648

Jones, M. (2008) “Skintight: an anatomy of Cosmetic Surgery” Space and Place: Globalization and Mediascapes. 32-58

“Las Muertas de Juárez Demandan Justicia” (2010), http://www.politicalgraphics.org/exhibitions/28women_juarez.html  Accessed May 14, 2012,

Reischer, E. and Koo, K. (2004) “The Body Beautiful: Symbolism and Agency in the Social World,” Annual Review of Anthropology. (33) 297-315.

Rizzo, C. (2011) “No End to Femicide in Ciudad Juarez.” Foreign Policy Association, http://foreignpolicyblogs.com/2011/02/22/no-end-to-femicide-in-ciudad-juarez/. Accessed May 13, 2012.

Rodriguez, F. (2011) “A list of reasons why political posters are vital tools in social movements” Favianna Rodriguez, http://www.faviannarodriguez.typepad.com. Accessed May 14, 2012

Rodriguez, F. “Artist Statement.” Favianna Rodriguez, http://www.favianna.com/statement/index.php.  Accessed May 133, 2012

Rodriguez, F. (1999) Del Ojo No Se Escapa Nadie (Online Image). Available from: http://www.favianna.com/port_prints/prints3.php. Accessed April 20, 2012

Rodriguez, F (2011) “I am an Onion with Many Layers to Peel.” Favianna Rodriguez. http://www.faviannarodriguez.typepad.com. Accessed May 14, 2012.

Rodriguez, F. (2012) I’m a Slut. I Vote (Online Image). Available from: http://favianna.typepad.com/faviannacom_art_activism/2012/03/take-ur-conservative-laws-and-go-f-yourself-3-new-posters-for-the-woman-bashing-year.html. Accessed April 20, 2012.

Rodriguez, F. (2011) “I’m miserable, happy, and in pain all at the same time.” Favianna Rodriguez. http://favianna.typepad.com/faviannacom_art_activism/2011/11/im-miserable-happy-and-in-pain-all-at-the-same-time.html. Accessed May 10th, 2012.

Rodriguez, F. (2006) “International Women’s Day”. Favianna Rodriguez. http://favianna.typepad.com/faviannacom_art_activism/2006/02/index.html. Accessed May 14, 2012

Rodriguez, F. Maquila (Online Image). Available from: http://www.justseeds.org/favianna_rodriguez/19maquila.html. Accessed April 20, 2012.

Rodriguez, F. Online Store Item Description for ‘Maquila.’ Favianna Rodriguez. http://favianna.flyingcart.com/index.php?p=detail&pid=19&cat_id=. Accessed May 14, 2012.

Rodriguez, F. (2011) “Sex-Positive Shop, Black-Woman owned, to open in my city!”, Favianna Rodriguez, http://favianna.typepad.com/faviannacom_art_activism/2011/01/sex-positive-shop-black-woman-owned-to-open-in-my-city-thats-what-im-talkign-bout.html. Accessed May 13, 2012

Rodriguez, F.  (2011) “Should feminist art about women & health include sex work, masturbation, polyamory, (sic) & porn?” Favianna Rodriguez, http://favianna.typepad.com/faviannacom_art_activism/2011/04/everybody-a-feminist-perspective-on.html. Accessed May 14, 2012

Rodriguez, F.  (2011) “Some open, non-censored thoughts about being an artist slut and why it’s important.” Favianna Rodriguez. http://favianna.typepad.com/faviannacom_art_activism/2012/03/ive-finally-wound-up-a-long-hectic-week-of-non-stop-art-making-since-last-wednesday-night-ive-been-intently-focusing-on-ma.html. Accessed May 13, 2012.

Saffier, W. (1988) “On Language; People of Color.” The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/20/magazine/on-language-people-of-color.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm. Accessed May 13, 2012.

“The People’s Artist: Favianna Rodriguez, political artist, activist” (2008) Utine: The Best of Alternative Press. http://www.utne.com/2008-11-13/50-Visionaries-Who-Are-Changing-Your-World.aspx#ixzz1uujddD3O. Accessed April 20, 2012

“The Pussy Power Manifesto” http://pussypower.me/day/2012/03/08/ Accessed May 14, 2012.

 

Footnotes

  1. Artist Statement. I was schooled in East Oakland by Chicano political poster artists at a very young age. The free neighborhood art classes of the 80’s were a great opportunity that allowed me to learn alongside established third world artists. It is through this training that I became a community poster artist. I make posters. My art pieces reflect national and international grassroots struggles, and tell a history of social justice through graphics. I am inspired and informed by the stylistic and radical impact of Chicano painters and printmakers. Like the old-school artists, my work reflects a growing national consciousness that speaks to the contemporary urban barrios, rebelling against racism, homophobia, sexism and corporate irresponsibility. There has never been a movement for social change without the arts ­ posters in particular ­ being central to that movement. All art is political, but not all art is overtly political. Protest posters flaunt their politics and court discussion. They can deepen compassion and commitment, ignite outrage, elicit laughter, and provoke action. The power of the poster is that it is produced in multiples, and therefore can be easily distributed for all to see.

    As a native of Oakland, the home of the Black Panther Party, my work is focused in this community. I am a core member of the EastSide Arts Alliance, a third world artist collective that supports and challenges all its members to think critically about revolution and be accountable to the grassroots. Through the alliance I am also a teacher, and have learned the importance of regeneration, that is, to pass on our skills to the next generation of cultural workers. Our role as revolutionary artists is to define and create a revolutionary culture. To make revolution irresistible! Our role is to undermine the deeply-embedded sickness of this country, to subvert this repressive culture and to build something transformative.

    Now more than ever, our protest culture is being coopted by the mainstream. Counter-culture is in style! But the requirement of study, political debate and practice is absent. We the artists of the people have a responsibility to expose our truths so that we don’t become maintainers of this corrupt sytem (sic). In this age of extreme capitalism, we are surrounded by corporate media that influence our decisions about everything we wear, everything we eat, and everything we buy. We are constantly fed messages to be consumers. I am not in the business of crass commercial advertisement. I am in the business of education and liberation. My subjects are Black, Latino, Asian and Native communities that have been ignored and smashed by this government.

    It is in this spirit that I has created artwork: to translate the messages of the frontlines into works of art that can be used to educate and mobilize. I am part of a long tradition of political artists who have used their art to dismantle and expose this fascistic culture. I send a shot out to Rini Templeton, Malaquias Montoya, Victor Jara, Emory Douglas, Paul Robenson, Juan Fuentes, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Ester Hernandez, Rene Mederos, and Rupert Garcia ­ political artists that inspired and informed my work and set the stage for political graphics in the 20th century. http://www.favianna.com/statement/index.php ↩

  2. This piece alludes to the murders of the women of Juarez, Mexico. The women figures in the piece are depicted as animals, illustrating the manner in which women, like animals, are treated like commodities and exploited in the name of trade and profits. The women figures are positioned on an assembly line. http://favianna.flyingcart.com/index.php?p=detail&pid=19&cat_id= ↩
  3. Excerpt from blog entry on October 4, 2011: I am an Onion with Many Layers to Peel

    This past week I’ve been in a lot conversations around love, heartbreak and solitude.. and it’s made me appreciate the choices I’ve made to prioritize my growth and self exploration rather than being in a relationship at this particular moment in my life.

    (…) I (am single yet I) don’t feel alone, I feel loved and appreciated by many people. When I yearn for attention, I seek it out. When I want to be touched and hugged and cuddled, I also seek it out. I’ve learned to ask for things when they come up. It’s been a hard path, to learn how to speak up and express what my needs are, including when I want to be in my solitude. Yet speaking up for what I want, not just in love, but in all of my life, has helped me forge a road of independence that is not always encouraged in women, especially women of color. I figure that life is too short to not speak up for what makes you happy.

    If I were to remember what the hardest part about me speaking up was in my childhood, I would say it was guilt. I would feel guilty for making out with girls and guys in hidden corners, or guilty for having big boobs, or guilty for wanting to go hang out with guys, or guilty about not helping my mom out with the cleaning. I grew up in a Catholic household and guilt was a part of my daily routine.

    I have no need for guilt anymore, that constant negative voice that doesn’t let you fully flourish. Guilt would make me afraid to fail and disappoint (sic), but in my new self, I’m not afraid of that anymore…well, I try.

    RIght (sic) now, my art and my activism bring me an immense amount of satisfaction, wonder and experiences. Through my art I’ve learned so much about myself. Sometimes I notice that I’m drawing a lot of my unconscious thoughts.

    (…)

    I made this piece because I feel like I have a lot of secrets. As open as I try to be, there’s still a lot I hide that are things I’ve been shamed for in my past. I think that part of my journey is to shed that shame and embrace the complex creature I am. I show myself in this piece like an onion hed (sic). If I were to be an onion, I would be a red one.

    (…)

    Being an artist has given me a voice. My art is what helps me make sense of life.

    …cebollita… http://favianna.typepad.com/faviannacom_art_activism/2011/10/i-am-an-onion-with-many-layers-to-peel-new-artpiece.html ↩

  4. Excerpt from blog entry on March 19, 2012: Some open, non-censored thoughts about being an artist slut and why it’s important

     (…) Last Wednesday evening, the day before International Women’s Day, I was sitting at my computer and I decided to do something I had always wanted to do – artwork about SLUT POSITIVITY. I’ve blogged often about my own exploration and sexual liberation, blogged about open relationships, and the satisfaction and empowerment I feel in my singlehood. And I’m always searching for ways to celebrate sexuality in a way that breaks boundaries, challenges old notions (even “progressive” notions), and does away with gender roles.

    But I haven’t always been successful.

    (…)

    I grew more and more enraged by the expanding assault on women’s access to reproductive healthcare – amd (sic) something in me snapped. I got fed up with the patriarchal BS, I decided it was time to strike some fear into the hearts of those male, masogenist (sic) conservatives who think they can run over us. So I trusted my voice and started working on my images. And shortly after midnight, I posted my 3 Slut Power posters (see the previous post). (…)

    I felt like a slut who just came out the closet. I felt good, empowered, able to be my full self, even my sexual full self – even if that intimidated or made others uncomfortable. I also was glad to see how many others sluts came out. And it felt like a moment where we we (sic) women were “burning draws and bras,” as a fellow artist playfully said. (…) I’ve been in progressive circles where I’ve witnessed slut shaming, and while I’ve tried to speak out, I’ve felt like a tiny voice. I have always been teased, called “white”, called crazy, for the beliefs that I have about my sexuality and sexual freedom in general.

    From men and women alike, I have heard that my ideas around sexuality are impractical, they could never work, and that I’ll never find a “man” who would accept the things I want to explore. Quite simply, what I want is to be able to be my full sexual self, in my full potential. I don’t want to constrain myself to heterosexist, and religion-based constructs that have for centuries said that women are men’s property, and therefore, one has to be with only one person, preferably for life (marriage). It’s not that I don’t believe one could have a life partner – it’s that I don’t want to be restrained by a model of how things HAVE TO BE. And monogamy is one of those models.

    I’ve always challenged monogamy, because I have seen people be so frustrated with themselves when they don’t suceed (sic) at the “ideal” relationship, or when they fail – which so many people do. I’ve seen loads of folks cheat, or hide their true feelings, or conceal their desire for others.  At what point are we going to see that the constructs for love, sex and relationships in our society are just plain outdated?

    Well, for me this has been a life challenge. Because I have always felt like an outsider. In a way, I believe this is why art has found me, or I have found art. Because art provides me with a framework to explore these ideas, to share them, to talk about them – in a way that is conducive to a sensual experience – by sensual I mean that ignites all the senses plus the mind. Art has been a place where I feel safe, where I don’t have to be a woman, nor a woman of color, nor even a human. Art is that space where I can be anything – and so, I’m proud of myself for exploring ideas even when I expect them to be unpopular.

    (…) I have to be able to take risks, piss people off, make people uncomfortable. I do this in my art to some degree with the political topics I explore, but rarely have I taken this to the very basic human activity we call sex. Rarely do I use it to talk about what it means generally to be a woman, to have a Punani that the system wants to control – not just in the health context, but in the relationship context, in the context of being human.

    Day after day, I see the way in which the media, law makers, even our own family devalue women to objects that need to be “kept safe by men.” Fuck that. (…)

    http://favianna.typepad.com/faviannacom_art_activism/2012/03/ive-finally-wound-up-a-long-hectic-week-of-non-stop-art-making-since-last-wednesday-night-ive-been-intently-focusing-on-ma.html (Features I’m a slut. I vote.) ↩

  5. Excerpt from blog entry on November 4, 2011: I’m miserable, happy, and in pain all at the same time

    (…) There is one big lesson in this for me, and that is, that health is precious. My temple that is my body is my lifelong container, and I am learning many little things about it.1and how my body in particular reacts to all kind of chemicals. Even drinking liquids has helped me understand where sensations happen around the lips and tongue. I have also understood what it means to be ill, and what it means to be healthy. (…) http://favianna.typepad.com/faviannacom_art_activism/2011/11/im-miserable-happy-and-in-pain-all-at-the-same-time.html ↩

  6. Excerpt from blog entry on the February 20, 2006. International Women’s Day

    The theme for the 2006 International Women’s Day production was “RAW”, as in: authentic, real, powerful, strong, courageous, exposed, vulnerable – peeling away layers to expose the truest self.

    This year’s production explores identity and image from every angle—cultural, physical, commercial, historical, spiritual… What is a woman’s authentic self? What does the entertainment/media tell women about beauty? What are the positive and negative influences that have shaped women’s identity and self-image? How is our image different from what is inside of us? What contradictions do we all walk around with? (…)

    This is the pose I developed for the piece (see finished piece below). Through my creative process, I ended up painting a very elaborate story. For the purpose of facilitating this discussion, I will call the woman in the left “blind-me” and the woman in the right “raw-me.” In the piece, the blind-me is wearing a white shirt and the raw-me is wearing a black shirt, symbolizing the pressure we have as women of color to emulate white female standards of beauty. The blind-me is wearing earrings and lipstick. And the raw-me is wearing nothing. I actually wear some lipstick and eye shadow myself… and earrings too. And I admit that while I consider myself a very independent and non-traditional type of women, at times I feel incomplete without my deep red shade on. So I recognize, that at times I need to let go and be more like the raw-me. Both ladies have a tatoo (sic) on their arm. The broken heart on the left epitomizes the hardship and sadness that comes with our (women’s) failed attempts to be someone we are not, to be thinner, whiter, prettier, taller… the fact is that the oppression and objectification of women can take a toll on on (sic) our self esteem. The whole heart represents the wholeness and “raw” emotion we carry within ourselves, just as we are. In the background of the piece, you can see a pin-up calendar with the silouette (sic) of a woman, a representation of the messages about beauty that bombard us. It is purposely set to March because it is the month of International Women’s day.

    <http://favianna.typepad.com/faviannacom_art_activism/2006/02/index.html> ↩

  7. The Pussy Power Manifesto

    1. We believe that the pussy is powerful.

    2. We do not use the word to refer to someone as weak – e.g. he is a pussy or don’t be a pussy.

    3. We reclaim the responsibilities that comes (sic) along with pussy power.

    4. We embrace our bush in whatever form we decide to present it in be it full, be it half, or be it a shape. But no matter what, we do not submit to the Waxing Industrial Complex.

    Quoted in Faviana’s blog and sourced to <http://pussypower.me/day/2012/03/08/> ↩

  8. “Should feminist art about women & health include sex work, masturbation, polyamory, (sic) & porn?”

    (…) Today I spent an evening with my Latina sistah/gurlfriend (sic) and we were discussing the need for more popular and positive education formats to talk about sex. I was talking about the various podcasts I find online that talk about non-monogamy and non-conventional relationships (such as PolyWeekly.com), but complained that so many of these podcasts did not speak to me as a woman of color. What if, I though, I could create a podcast that openly talked about non-monogamous relationships and how they are accepted (or rejected) in communities of color. How do our sexual hang-ups, or sexual liberations, intersect with our experiences around race? After all, talking about women of color’s health means also talking out our history with sexual abuse and sexual violence, particularly as it has played in out the colonial, slavery, and imperialists contexts.

    We ended our night with a stroll into Oakland’s newest sex-positive store and gallery, FEELMORE, owned by a woman of color with years of experience in the pleasure industry. I was inspired by three things when I walked into the store, 1) by the artistic and erotic images of people of color decorating the walls, 2) by the conversation I had with the owner, who briefly talked about her vision for the store as a place where folks could come for sex education, and 3) by a queer girl film I picked up, which I just learned was nominated for an award for Feminist Porn. The film, “Tight Places,” breaks new ground in the queer porn scene by being the first to feature an all people of color cast. I can’t wait to see it and review it!

    (…) In fact, when I have raised the issue of heterosexism and monogamism (meaning the dominance and enforcement of “monogamy”), I get ostracized or isolated. When will be the day, when I can hold my “Stop Deportations” banner, alongside my “Fight the Climate Crisis” banner, alongside my “Release your Inner Slut” banner??

    http://favianna.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8345357ef69e201538ddd2a33970b-popup

    Really, when will we as a progressive sector begin to embrace a full liberation of not just out outer selves, but our innerselves? That includes challenging the things we have learned about sex, about relationships, and about pleasure. <http://favianna.typepad.com/faviannacom_art_activism/2011/04/everybody-a-feminist-perspective-on.html> ↩

  9. Excerpt from blog entry on November 24, 2011

    A list of reasons why political posters are vital tools in social movements. Many of these bullets apply to culture overall, including music, the written word, comics, public theater, and more. It’s my hope that this will inspire you to make your own poster.

    • Posters create a compelling vision of the society that we desire to live in: They challenge the status quo, and are often able to draw comparisons between the society we DO and DON’T want.

    • Posters are Fast: Posters should be read in about 5 seconds. They are designed for someone walking down the street, or for a teacher who wants to put it up in her classroom, or for a quick share online. Text on posters is common and perfectly acceptable, and therefore posters can share a demand, or a call to action. Posters are usually done pretty fast. There’s not the same attachment one has to a painting, for example. They key is to get out there!

    • Posters are Simple: Posters are meant to be bold, clear and to the point. That’s how we can measure their effectiveness. Posters need to be framed in simple terms – less is more. I usually shoot for 10 words or less. Posters can explain complex ideas and policies and make them clear and accessible to everyday people.

    • Posters are Versatile: Posters can inspire a person to action, or make someone cry, or make someone laugh. They can encourage a viewer to mobilize, or to take an action, or to contemplate an idea, or even to get angry.

    • Posters Encourage Participation: Posters are meant for mass audiences. Their messages often are a a (sic) call for a collective identity, whether its around a shared worker identity, a shared Black identity, or in this case, a shared identity around the stories, demands and desires of the 99%.

    • Posters can exist in many places at once: This is true whether its printed, or only exists onlne (sic), or both. A poster is something meant to be shared, pasted on a wall, used as a picket sign, or even a Facebook profile. For many other works of art, the mass distribution of the piece in its original form would likely lessen its value, but not for posters. You want that image to “go viral.” http://favianna.typepad.com/faviannacom_art_activism/2011/11/index.html ↩

  10. 50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World.

    “The People’s Artist: Favianna Rodriguez, political artist, activist”

    In Utine: The Best of Alternative Press

    She’s going to make you shout. Favianna Rodriguez’s political poster art packs revolutionary punch, fused with crackling colors and don’t-mess-with-us mojo. “Gentrification = Predatory Development” thunders a billboard in her Oakland, California, hometown. “We Say Hell No!”

    In an image-saturated world, Rodriguez’s fearless, frank work is impossible to ignore. “I use art to transform global politics,” Rodriguez says.

    As the daughter of immigrants and a woman of color who grew up without many role models in the art world, Rodriguez gives voice to the global community, and, stepping outside of the artist’s traditional frame, she’s building infrastructure for next-generation women. Collaborating, educating, organizing, writing books, public speaking, everything—she says—becomes part of the artist’s work. Celebrating the work of other bold souls is also essential to Rodriguez’s vision. She recently coedited Reproduce & Revolt (Soft Skull, 2008), a collection of stunning revolutionary political graphics designed by global artists—all of which are licensed under Creative Commons, free to reproduce.

    “Favi is doing something that is extremely unusual right now—declarative political art,” says Soft Skull editorial director Richard Nash. “The dominant trend in political art has been ironic, subversive, which can be marvelous except for the slightly creepy feeling one can get that the only viewers who get it are the ones who already possess the framing techniques needed to deconstruct it. The ones who get it, already got it.

    “Favi’s doing the is-what-it-is thing: gorgeous, direct political statements.”

    Read more here: http://www.utne.com/2008-11-13/50-Visionaries-Who-Are-Changing-Your-World.aspx#ixzz1uujddD3O ↩