Only Honey , 2022
watercolor, ink, and gold leaf on mixed media paper

Only Honey centers on Hollywood’s objectification of women. Marilyn Monroe, who was notoriously branded as a sex object, is centered in the image with a red line over her eyes and golden honey underneath her. This depicts how the “hive” of the film industry confiscated her agency and extracted her talent. The motifs of honey and bees give the piece a surrealist dimension. Bees produce honey and are promptly deprived of their product by humans. This is similar to women in old Hollywood. They made efforts to follow their dreams, but were forced to “smile more” and perform for the men behind the camera, unable to do more than they were told. The simplicity of the piece draws the audience’s attention to Monroe’s inhibited gaze. She is forced to serve the male gaze, storing her talent (honey) in the illustrated honeycombs and trapped in the role she must play. The piece captures what is within Monroe's unconscious as her goals (or dreams) slowly become those of the men.

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UCI Humanities Core

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