Designer Pallavi Singh Advisor Committe Adam Smith, Mike Strobert Categories Graphic Design, Publication, Illustration, Book, Typography
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September 01, 2020 - Present
How might we break away from irrational social constructs to help women control their narratives?
How might we identify the different tones of gender biases and stop measuring women along with the age-old assumptions that define the social order?
In our battle to break the binary today, this publication is a commentary on normalizing the strict gender roles by presenting stark examples of our biased gender views so that women are free to reach their potential.
Zine Stories with Visual Puns
Satire . Visual puns
To explore the social hierarchy and gender gap, I wanted to begin from a cellular and genetic level, where women are constitutionally superior to men. The dual "XX" chromosomal structure gives women more longevity and greater strength to withstand biological adversities.
I explored several visual puns to convey how biology favors females if power is not simply measured in terms of physical strength only.
Here's "XOXO" from nature to women!
The publication is intercepted with advertisements that mock the gender makeup of the society that universally places women at a secondary level to men. This particular spread captures how the idea of measuring power and potential is easily sold to us because it is culturally conditioned through the ages.
Are we open to buying a different and unexplored theory of measuring power?
Activism . Society
To further exemplify sexism linked with racism, my illustration here is a response to the Covid-related rise in Anti-Asian hate crimes in the US in the past month. The narrative here is a peek into the historical events such as the "Page Act of 1875" that established stereotypes of Asian women as "exotic sex objects" which still exist in society today. The "male supremacy" is evident when the shooter in Atlanta claimed the lives of Asian women only to "eliminate his sexual temptations".
The invisible measuring tapes of hate and misogyny are deeply embedded in our psyche and blindfold us to break away from the meaningless perceptions.
Activism . Society
A continuation of the previous series to raise awareness about the ancient immigration act that prohibited the entry of Asian women into the States on the assumption that they were "immoral". I draw parallels to the current shootings in Atlanta to measure how far we have actually come or are we still dwelling in the dark ages?
Satire . Visual puns
Can strong women also be funny?
The translation of social hierarchy and gender gap established at home is carried on to the workplace where the strongest sense of hierarchy and gap exhibit. There is a certain gendered risk in projecting different personality expressions as a female in a work environment. Would one be taken seriously if you are funny, joyful, and humble for roles that are dynamic and reflect boldness? It is high time to obliterate and confront these paradoxes.
Satire . Visual puns
I wanted to explore the assumption that it is “natural” for women to smile more often at work so that they don’t come across too bold. It is usually taken for granted that femininity is more aligned with being soft-spoken/keeping up a more gentle demeanor. Not conforming to these age-old conventions is still taken as a negative trait.
I tried to abstract a garden-like geometrical pattern where this bias lives, constantly calling out women to SMILE!
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