Take Her Swimming
Take Her Swimming on the First Date
The painting series Take Her Swimming on the First Date challenges the concept that makeup is used as a facade to bolster beauty. This collection celebrates the use of makeup as a form of artistry. A recent trend swept social media depicting before and after shots of women with and without makeup. In response to these posts, some men publicly claimed that a woman should be “taken swimming on the first date” so that her makeup can be washed away, and he can then decide whether or not she is still attractive. In these paintings I hope to express the ideas that the use or absence of makeup does not determine a woman’s worth or level of beauty, and is not a tactic of trickery, targeting men. This series explores the notion that not only are women beautiful in diverse ways, but also that the way we choose to alter ourselves is both a mode of personal expression and a sign of innate femininity.
