Snatched

Snatched explores the enduring pressure placed on women to conform to societal and beauty standards; pressures that have evolved throughout history but continue to leave lasting marks. While some of these ideals may seem harmless, others demand permanent, even harmful, modifications to the body. Snatched reflects the psychological and physical impact of these expectations, embodying the sense of entrapment many women experience as they navigate the impossible standards imposed upon them.

The piece itself is a waist trainer, an object historically associated with the pursuit of an "ideal" feminine form, modified with chicken wire sewn inside. Rigid and unforgiving, the wire transforms the waist trainer into a painful, restrictive shell. It becomes a physical manifestation of the damage these beauty standards can inflict: contorting the body, constraining movement, and leaving both visible and invisible scars. Through this fusion of garment and cage, Snatched confronts the cost of conformity and the quiet violence embedded in ideals of beauty.

Accompanying the waist trainer are a series of black-and-white photographs that document the aftermath of wearing the piece for several hours. Nearly abstract in nature, these images reveal the wire’s imprint on skin: delicate yet haunting evidence of harm. They serve as a visual echo of the internal and external pressures women endure, making visible what is often left unseen. Together, the waist trainer and the photographs challenge viewers to confront the enduring legacy of beauty as both a standard and a weapon.