This piece of street art by Banksy is very important when looking through the lens of gender in the topic of feminism. Banksy is addressing the issue of gender roles and the socially constructed view of female beauty. In the western worldview, the ideal beauty standards that women are expected to live up to are unrealistic. It does not matter how your body looks, you are beautiful; this is not the message the Western world is telling young girls. The image which shows a young girl standing in front of a “constructed museum”, the girl is looking at a painting of a woman posing in a bikini and the words: “you don’t have to look like this”. To the left there is a small sign which reads: “I don’t care what you think”. This image creates a strong voice for feminism and deconstructs the typical gendered stereotypes.

As a young girl growing up in the suburbs of Canada I often felt a pressure from the media, and my peers to conform to what they wanted me to be. Not being able to meet the societal expectations imposed upon the women of today’s society has led to numerous societal issues such as eating disorders and low self-esteem as well as many others. I love how Banksy uses street art to convey his message about gender and the often unrealistic expectations women are expected to meet in terms of beauty.

Works Cited: Banksy. [Digital Image]. Retrieved February 16, 2017 from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/269582727664349080/