Tomi Oduwole

Department: School of Modern Languages and Cultures

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*The following description was provided by the student*

The file containing 3 images of Simone de Beauvoir with text in relation to 'feminine,' 'femme', and 'feminist,' are inspired by her book, the second sex.

In the first Simone de Beauvoir image, we see the first word is ‘féminine’, and all the words below are the traits that are associated with femininity according to de Beauvoir in her book. In the photo where a face disappears into smoke, I am trying to visualize this idea by showing that the female is given her characteristics, she is told how to behave by men and therefore her identity and who she really is, fades away, just like smoke.

In the second image Simone de Beauvoir image, we see that the word at the top is ‘fémme’, and all the words below are the biological aspects of the female body that makes a woman a woman, as Simone de Beauvoir also identifies in her book. I try to capture this in the body distortion image. What I am trying to show here is that the physical construction of the female body is purely a construction, it has no connection with her mind or her characteristic traits. I also try to emphasize this by making the areas with the cuts pure black to show that a woman's mental and intellectual capabilities cannot be established by the way she is built or just because she is not built like a man.

Lastly, in the final Simone de Beauvoir image, the word at the top is Feminist, and the words that follow are those associated with feminism, emphasizing the traits of a feminist and highlighting the fact that it is a political stance rather than a characteristic trait in all women. In association with this, I have decided to use myself as a representation. My name is Oluwatomi Oduwole, I am a black woman, I am Nigeran, I am a student and I have rights. This stance shows development from the time Simone de Beauvoir wrote her book till now. This is because, in her times, such a statement might have been considered radical feminism, but in the world, we live in today, it is accepted a lot more.