Girl,
Commodified

“Girl, Commodified” (a play on the movie title, Girl, Interrupted) is a response to the objectification and commodification of women within society. Whether it is in the sexual violence materialized in Chanel Miller’s “Know My Name,” the rape and commodification of Black female slaves in “Wake” by Rebecca Hall, or the mistreatment of women in the sex industry, women are preyed upon and objectified like slabs of meat (hence the usage of the meat packaging sticker in the piece). In addition to objectification, this piece also echoes the notion of an idealized, normative femininity. This type of femininity (reliant on motherhood, purity, and a precise gender performance), is validated and reinforced within our society. In turn, this allows for the reproduction and manufacturing of normative gender roles, like the manufacturing of material goods. Echoing economic principles, as long as the demand for normative femininity exists (and, this demand allows normative gender roles to be privileged in our society) a supply will be created.