dear god it’s disrespectful how beautiful this is. and the choice of color for the lighting ? 😮‍💨

thank you v much for this. cannot even express how appreciative i am that you took the time to intervene on the madness. i thought maybe i was in need of realignment or something but this is really cool. i hope you have a great rest of your week friend

i…. played the victim card……. by making a…… piece….. centralizing…….on my acceptance of…… my rape…… 🧍‍♀️………

well i already explained myself/the title in the comment you just responded to, and i understand where you’re coming from. however, the title isn’t me saying “boys will be boys” it’s the excuse my family member gave me when i told him i was raped. literally a man told me this. i’m not the one that “lumped all men into the rapist category”

a member of the male species did

trust me, i don’t like the title either. that’s the point. when i was told that, it not only disrespected me as a woman, but my experience as a rape victim as well. that’s also the reason for my inclusion on quotations. i feel like people shouldn’t be offended by something that doesn’t apply to them.

for the record, the point of the title was not to draw in the views in hopes of getting exposure, or however you put it. in fact, that’s a little insulting. it’s to make people as sick as i was when i was told that in response to me being raped. to draw attention on how we justify mens actions no matter the severity, all because they’re men. that’s bullshit in my opinion.

also thank you for your kind words on my piece :) v appreciative.

why does a woman have to be celibate or a virgin in order for her body to not be sexualized ? and as a female, i’m most definitely going to be focused on how to change the way the female body is sexualized and objectified. i’m a woman. why would i want to live in a world where the normative is the over-sexualization of our naked anatomy? more so, why would i want to raise little girls in a world where they are perceived as nothing more than sex objects? and to answer your question, i think if we continue to have discussions like this, and continue pushing topics like “maybe it’s how we parent”, with time (loads of it) one day we will reach a point where the majority of the population that have children or are looking to be parents, will be well informed on topics such as “toxic masculinity”, dismantling the association of certain behaviors/interests/objects/etc.. w specific genders, victim blaming, normalizing sex talk/reinventing our sexual education system, etc.. and through that, those same morals and values will be instilled in our children, which is all it is. that part is so v crucial. and i believe in our future, that is most definitely possible.

that’s ok, everyone’s entitled to their own opinions. aside from my personal reasoning for making it, it was meant to start a discussion and im really happy i could do that. thank you v much for taking the time to respond w such kindness. your words are appreciated in more ways than you know <3

AH YES thank you thank you !! v much what i was going for. mid painting, and not at all making light of the subject by this, but law and order svu popped into my head and the opening credits display police negatives w blue and red (tints, undertones ? i think ?) and i really wanted to try and replicate that, both for the effect and to tie it in w the overall theme. thanks for pointing that out !!

thank you for the kind words, pretty soul <3 so much work to be done. i hope i can live to see the day when that ball finally gets put in motion.

don’t see a need to make it known that i wasn’t talking abt all men when talking abt sexual deviancy, because for one i didn’t even say “all men are predatory”. that was you that determined that. and two, my objective when creating this wasn’t to protect the fragile emotions of men who may get offended by my art representing sexual assault. why ? because it’s not abt them. no malice, no vengeance, no hostility. its simply not abt them. it’s a representation of sexual deviants, and the victims of their crimes. giving us a voice so loud, vibrant, aggressive, and clear for the times we were robbed of words, amongst others. and if you take offense in that? then the issue is not for me to resolve. that is something you must resolve from within.

thank you v much for sharing that, and words can’t express how sorry i am for what you’ve gone through. thank you for your kind words <3 i hope in all the chaos you must’ve gone through, you were able to find peace and heal. lots of love friend

someone who took art academically… complimenting my technique ? 🥺🫡 excuse me while i literally DIE ! thank you so so much ! this is literally my 4th painting ever, so hearing that from someone who studied art is seriously so dope and completely reassuring. and that’s ok, i chose to post my work on the internet. can’t get mad at anyone for reacting. was just a little uncomfortable. but thank you again ! seriously so cool !

well no, i wasn’t trying trying to determine how you view the naked female anatomy. i was pointing out how in me painting a naked female, you immediately sexualized it. you also stated that the female body “is a sexual object” … which is deeply troubling. a female in her naked form should never be automatically seen as a sexual object. that’s the problem. and the same goes for all genders. do you know the reason why the depiction of naked people, especially men, was so prevalent in art from ancient greece? to celebrate the human body. they used nudity to push a social normative. i use the same ideology in all my art.

no i said women first because i am a woman, and this piece is abt my experience (and acceptance) w my sexual assault. no one, especially those who can unfortunately relate to me on this topic, are viewed as an “afterthought” in my eyes. i don’t think like that. and not sure where you were going w that, insinuating i regurgitated your words despite my comment literally being before yours. i think imma hop off social media, not because my self security/mentality has been compromised, but rather my IQ after this v unnecessary conversation…

ahhh yes, well if you took the time to read my response you would’ve seen that i literally stated “women (and all other genders that suffered from sexual assault). verbatim. but thanks for the concern pal, i hope whatever is troubling you subsides and you find peace of mind in your journey through healing as well.

would just like to add context, even though i feel like i shouldn’t have to, but people are getting rather upset abt my work and it’s making me a lil uncomfy ngl 🥲. this isn’t supposed to be some feminist propaganda, although i have no issue in that as i am a feminist (not to be confused w extremist thank you). this is quite literally my way of accepting something that traumatized me on multiple levels. the title “boys will be boys” was literally SAID to ME by a family member of mine, along w “well what were you wearing” … for the people getting upset at me for painting abt my experiences, telling me i need psychological help because your feelings somehow got hurt in what i created, speaks volumes on issues that continue to plague us on a societal level. i wasn’t saying women only suffer from sexual assault, this isn’t a generalization. this is literally me trying to accept something that has happened to me…. hence the female body and title. it’s all… my… experience. literally so beyond confused as to how men are still getting offended in this when it’s clearly abt sexual assault??? are you a sexual deviant ? no ? then ???

i was thinking maybe resolving the bigger issue that plagues us on a societal level. because if we handled that one, women (and all other genders that suffered from sexual assault) such as myself wouldn’t have to go therapy as a result of… yea. thank you for your assessment though. restoring my faith in humanity w your concerns for my well being

just wanted to say thank you btw, great opportunity for discussion on something that i’m very passionate abt. was not at all trying to be rude in what i responded w, just pointing something out.

no, but i understand your interpretation. i didn’t sexualize her in any way. i simply painted a naked woman, which in my eyes is a beautiful depiction of divine femininity. the butterflies are a representation of innocence, and the book i tore pages out of and burned are a representation of loss of innocence. you can’t ever get those pages back; you can never regain innocence once it’s been taken. i believe my piece screams femininity, and boundary; awareness. if you took my painting a naked woman for objectification and sexualization, or that i was “tempting” you in doing so, despite my message written right next to it, then not to be blunt (or disrespectful) but that’s kind of the problem, right ?

well if that was the issue, i wouldn’t have made a piece abt… men… touching me… w out consent… i hope mama universe is kind to you. it appears you have bigger issues to resolve than worrying abt my relationship w men. sending you healing energy in abundance friend.

thank you so much ! was worried it was a little too chaotic for the message, but this really reassured me :)