I received the book, Looking Queer, Body Image and Identity in Lesbian, Bisexual Gay
and Transgender Communities, by Dawn Atkins... I examined the book thoroughly,
focusing on the damage; a quarter of this book had been sliced with five strong diagonal
cuts. The damaged pieces were neatly placed within a paperclip and attached to the
cover of the book. As I quickly leafed through the remaining 300 pages, I became aware
that certain phrase, titles and words seized my attention. The second time the pages
were very slowly turned, and again, the same phrases seized me. I instinctively tore out
these pages. This continued at a quickening pace until I reached the back cover. Phrases
were selected such as: if only I were cute, justify my love handles, personal is political,
disillusionment and identity crisis, the first “f” word I learned was “fatso” and how the gay
community trims the fat. Some phrases were witty and most raised deep frustration with
contemporary society’s obsession with good looks and body image. With dozens of
selected pages torn, a quarter of the book sliced and an understanding of the book’s
content, I pursued a way to bring these pieces together in a new form with vitality. I
thought about the pieces and I thought about body adornment with pieces and how that
encompasses body image, self expression and individual style. I selected body
adornment in the form of simple bracelets as my bridge between the book’s content and
my form of personal expression. I attached one phrase, title or word to each individual
bracelet. These bracelets also bring to mind the magic of fortune cookies, in a way, that
each fortune gives you a little something to mediate on. The bracelets with words to
ponder are housed inside a plain jewelry box. It is my hope that individuals will open this
box, wear the bracelets, find a little magic and initiate discussion about body image for
the Reversing Vandalism project.
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