Always the Muse, Never the Artist

For a big birthday (that is still coming up, but who is checking?), I gifted myself this piece of art. It is a large collage by the wonderful Noor Huige (go follow her on Insta: www.instagram.com/noorhuige). And seeing this model from a 1950’s Vogue issue, and Noor’s own transformation story as an artist, got me thinking…

If – up to this very day – women have largely been relegated to the role of muse, of inspiration only, for men to create art, HOW MUCH TALENT HAVE WE MISSED OUT ON? How many great works of art – in literature, paintings, plays, etc – have we as a society not been able to enjoy, because women weren’t the artist?

Same with science – how many brilliant women didn’t have a chance to pursue education and further their interests. How many inventions did we not benefit from? How many innovations and discoveries did we miss?

Missed, because women were busy birthing and taking care of babies, cooking dinners and washing laundry. And because society didn’t think they could be all that smart, all that brilliant, and didn’t educate and encourage them. And as a result: neither did these women. And with the exception of a few, they went back to the kitchen.

The more I think about it, the sadder I get, and the more enraged. Realising all the areas that women’s voices have been squashed, silenced, suppressed. Sad and angry for those women whose dreams have not materialised.

But think about it – as a society as a whole, we have also missed out, due to these gender biases. (And don’t get me started on POC or other minorities. My brain explodes thinking about how ANYONE outside of the white, male default has been ignored and oppressed throughout history.)

Society missed out. WE missed out. MISSED OUT, PEOPLE.

All the beauty.

All the talent.

All the WISDOM.

The world missed out on it. Because we should stay in our place.

And the same happens in business of course. Sure, like in art and science, we are officially equals there. But the reality is very different and women’s voices and ideas are still squashed on a daily basis.

This is why I do the work that I do. So that women’s talents can be seen, leveraged, enjoyed. So that they can shine, and that we can all benefit from their greatness. Just like the woman on this collage is showing, whose head is literally exploding with beauty 😊