The Show Must Go Home: Senior Thesis Exhibition Spring 2020

Lydia McKee

Pink Horror: An Adorable Name for An Insidious Matter
Lydia McKee

The embodiment of beauty that women aspire to attain often has nothing to do with women at all. My belief is it is the pressure of unrealistic social standards fueled by the commercial influence of mass media, it compromises the ability of women to be effective in and accepted by western society in many cases. Through video performance and installation, this piece seeks to explore the gendered associations within consumerism as it pertains to women. The disposition of the work incorporates themes of horror and excessive amounts of the color pink, in order to address the current gender-based stereotypes, discriminations, and inequalities in existence.

My video showcases the pressures on women today from a contemporary consumer perspective. The pressure to conform, the pressure to buy, and the pressure to deliver. My caricature performs in a digital beauty tutorial format, in the way she directly interacts with the camera and addresses the consumer audience. There is an underlying sarcasm throughout the piece, of fantasy versus feminism. There is an exaggeration of false feminism presented in a heightened manner for effect. The smearing and coating of high gloss neon pink substances onto passive beauty products, the aggressive movements, the deranged body language, and intense action shots help stimulate the viewer.  

From start to finish, the character is stuck inside the confines of a pink stereotyped box filled with toxic-like substances, poorly decorated cakes stabbed with razors, barbie dolls and rhinestones, normally objects associated with femininity. By incorporating shocking Schiaparelli pink into this piece, the model embraces the female stereotype, but the chaotic actions reflect anger and rebellion in the process. The interior of the space illustrates an unruly installation that focuses on a representation of pink tax objects, beauty myths, and severe overindulgence and excess in the form of a wrecked bakery filled to overflowing with cakes. 
In critiquing the inequalities that have evolved into societal norms, due in part to the limitless misleading advertising, unfair pricing, and commercially driven female-focused products, the absurdities and reflections of contemporary society are highlighted. The model uses a humorous undertone that is ironic in nature and unsettling to the core. 

The sickly scent of sweet hot pink vanilla frosting, the glittered pink slime, and the brightly colored pink lard are a horror story in themselves. The irony portrayed through objects in this piece presents current contemporary issues in modern society that have literally and figuratively been sugar-coated-in pink for some time now. All with the aim to achieve a more palatable result for society. Additional mixed media in the piece includes paint, cardboard, metal rods, recycled shelves, and mixed paraphernalia like pink razors, molding paste, and pink tape.

The character commences in the piece as an innocent young woman, happy to begin with, while later understanding she is actually delusional and even disgusted at the same time. In today’s society, children are often targeted at a young age when they are introduced to gendered toys, gendered crafts, and gendered ideals of what it really means to be a girl or a boy. The model herself is thinking about the pink tax, she’s feeling she’s being taken advantage of and is suddenly feeling the effect on women and the female community at large. She realizes that the box in the video is actually keeping her contained in an expected environment with an artificial experience and an expected result. 

The video’s sound components help to add to the distortion and distress the model is experiencing in the performance throughout. From the ice cream truck and carousel music at the onset, (which may transport the viewer to their childhood) to the transition into a full-on chilling horror show. The girl’s laughter, the distorted sound effects, the fifties melody (“Put your head on my shoulder”), the components of silence, the reversed sounds of slowing down and speeding up in continuous format amplify the confusion being experienced on the set and by the viewer. 

The act of creating these cake-like sculptures highlights the bird’s eye view of faux domesticity and the subject matter of the unrealistic domestic goddess subject in our hyper-masculine dominated world. The concept of PSM (pale-stale-male) running our government, our infrastructure, our environment, and our future opportunities in the workforce and in the home, is not appealing to the average woman today, the model included. We yearn for a voice, we yearn to be heard, and we deserve equal opportunity and inclusivity in the world of high-powered politics, finance, art, culture, technology, commerce, and governance. 
 Despite using the feminine-association of the color pink, the reference is actually being made to the male art giants of this century, (Judd, Pollock, Serra, et al) and forms that are typically perceived to be masculine, oversized and powerful statements as a result of the art-making process. Some of the artists inspiring the work’s form and content are Janine Antoni and Lynda Benglis. The work of Barbara Kruger and Jenny Holzer is also an influence, for their thought-provoking take on politics and societal progress, celebrating female inclusivity versus male exclusivity. This theme of inclusion and community is present in many of the artists' works admired. 

The ideas of using materials such as frosting and toxic-like paints originally stemmed from Antoni’s sculpture installation, “Gnaw” (1992), where the artist created cubes from chocolate and lard, which she then attempted to eat away at in a gluttonous, euphoric state. This exaggerated description of femininity and sweetness characterized in the use of chocolate by the artist is in tandem with this work. It highlights the mass use of beauty products, excessive quantities of sugar, and an overindulgence of stereotypical feminine paraphernalia, that is forced upon us daily through the media. Another personal influence on the work is Lynda Benglis’ brightly colored latex sculptures poured directly onto the floor in a bravado trailblazing fashion. The latex method she initiated had not yet been utilized by male artists in their practice, she single-handedly blurred the lines between painting and sculpture. 

While we know that real beauty comes from within, and in an array of many shapes, forms, sizes, and colors, the depiction of perceived beauty standards is being disrupted not only in the art world but also in the media as the world looks to a more individual and imperfect typification of beauty. Meanwhile, there still remains a fierce competitiveness among many women searching for physical perfection at any cost and losing sight of the cost to mental health and physical wellness in extreme cases in this impossible pursuit. Why? The continuous pressure placed by printed and social media, adds to the issues of loss of freedom, confidence, personal angst, self-hatred and spiteful comparisons, and conversations of unrealistic ideals that are never going to be met. The realization of this can cause a lack of female confidence.  

Inclusivity is today a celebration of community, partnership, and empowerment for women the world over. Women are supported by other women and are finding the strength and the courage to be different and celebrate the differences openly, with a direct dialogue, a thoughtful point of view, and a spirit empowered by art and literature showcasing the struggle and the need for fundamental change. This performance work has various aspects of methodology and delivery through the use of paint pouring, throwing, dripping, icing, and self-consumption in its execution. In displaying an overabundance of the color pink, it is acknowledged as a symbol of extreme femininity. For this reason, pink is exaggerated in the work to the point of using artificial, extreme and an absurd manifestation of toxic neon and pigmented colorants to convey the truth of the ridiculous reality. 

The concerning existence of the pink tax is another subject presented by exposing its preposterous phenomenon in the chaotic pink arrangements of everyday items in the set. With a name stemming from the obvious fact that most of the gender-based price discriminatory products are pink; it refers to the extra amount women are charged for certain basic products and services. There is an expectation that women will pay more for a “feminine” visualization of a standard use product, (razors, deodorants, and personal care items specifically as well as dry cleaning, children’s toys et al). A study of gender pricing in New York City found that women’s products cost up to 13% more than similar products for men. Why? As a young feminist with the desire to make compelling artistic work, the artist wants to make art that will empower others on subject matters she feels personally invested in.

Every woman living in America is trapped in the contemporary deadlock of mass consumerism and that’s why the setting was chosen for the video performance. Although the depiction and colors are pure fantasy, the existential reality is clear, and the message is “Let me out! I’m trapped in a world of false values and violent vanity”. The over-sexualization of the female form to conform to Playboyesque porno visual standards is old fashioned, overrated, and dangerous to the point of mass condescension and should come with an official health warning. The pressure on women to conform is seen in the huge growth of plastic surgery procedures, anti-aging products, and weight-loss platforms aimed at vulnerable women. The focus should actually be on health and wellness, mind, body, and soul. The freedom to choose is there, the ability to be independent and not follow the norm is a journey not all can follow and can create financial distress, dissatisfaction, and resentment in its pursuit.
Whether it’s the beauty or fashion industry, social media, pop culture, or the workplace, there is no escape. Women are the most powerful consumers, driving the growth of these industries. According to the Boston Consulting Group, women drive between 70% to 80% of consumer spending and influence 91% of household spending. Even in areas of auto and home improvement, women are proven to have more purchasing power than men. Since brands are obligated to keep women on their side, contemporary advertising has taken new strategies of using ‘consumer feminism’ as their modern tactic to sell products to women. Today, brands use the prescribed ideologies of the feminist lifestyle, as in having a successful career and enjoying a fulfilling personal life, as the means of selling the dream. In doing so, advertisements will refer to lipsticks as a strength tool or heels as weaponized femininity, which is just not the case. Despite feminism striving for equality between genders, consumerism has never stopped worshipping the shrine of males and females separately. This gives brands the opportunity to market twice and double the return, consumer strategy at its very best. 

The chaos depicted in the Pink Horror video performance is emblematic of the societal pressure applied today to women in western culture to conform to images of idealistic beauty. It is the focus of most modern brands' marketing strategies and they are in turn drowning in content overload and messaging. For the artist, (me) art is an escape and a vehicle to showcase their experience, their environment, and their emotion in life. The anger depicted in the final scenes, therefore, is pure frustration, a total culmination of the overload presented in everyday life, and a rebellion against the myth that is modern-day perceived beauty.

To learn more about Lydia's work visit:
https://www.lydiamckee.com
https://www.instagram.com/piiink_horrror/?igshid=1c554vve5i0sq
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