Domestic Sarcasm

Advertisements often reinforce the conflicting expectation that women are required to do all of the dirty housework while simultaneously remaining tidy and beautiful. In order to highlight these absurd tropes that women are expected to fulfill, I have created a series of dresses and aprons utilizing printed ads from the 1930s and ‘40s. Many of the historic advertisements I use are so blatantly sexist they are laughable, but they illuminate the history of feminine expectations. After I silkscreen my designs onto fabric by hand, I create dresses and aprons that reflect the outfits worn by the women in the ads. To combat the expectation for women to remain spotless at all times, I specifically created some dresses and aprons to wear in daily life. The aprons especially reference the absurd notion of tidiness. The stains and damage present on the attire document that I am an active person.