Fear Not This Body

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Carolyn Adda Buss (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: Body shame is an insidious part of Western culture. As a fat woman , I am intent upon expressing and sharing the beauty of bodies that are commonly vilified in an effort to combat that shame. In my MFA thesis exhibition , I present an installation consisting of a series of larger-than-life nude self-portraits alongside a series of enameled objects that I call bodies: these share forms with various stereotypical feminine body types , present diverse skin tones and textures , and feature assorted anatomical features typically coded as unsightly or undesirable. The large portraits envelop the viewer in a fat body and encourage them to pick up and interact with these small enameled representations of fatness. The final portion of the installation is the sticky-note wall; a participatory activity with viewers based on vulnerability research and an experiment I performed within Jenkins Fine Arts Center over the month of September. The work has already helped others , and I expect to continue making body- and fat-positive works in order to continue helping viewers gain their own confidence.

Additional Information

Publication

Thesis

Language: English

Date: 2019

Keywords

metalsmith, enamel, body, self-acceptance, fat acceptance, fat positivity, fat liberation, body acceptance, self-portraiture, fat, beauty, confidence, intimacy

Subjects

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