Tu Ne T'intéresses Pas Au Sexe?

For our last action project in Rhetoric, we were assigned to create an artistic representation of your feelings about an important social issue. The purpose of this action project was to produce a compelling work of art that transcends speech, one that “breaks the sound barrier”. My topic is adolescent sexuality, specifically teenage girls' sexuality. Ironically enough, I was afraid to choose this topic because of it's mature content and nature. I am proud of completing this project on time because I struggled with the timeline that was given.

GN (Print), 2014 

 I understand that it can be especially hard to talk about sex, but this can be very detrimental to teens. Yes, we have sex education classes at school, but as a teenager myself I don't feel like those classes answer all of our questions. Sex Ed focuses on the physical and the consequential aspects of sex, some teens including myself are interested in knowing about the emotional aspect of sex. What does it feel like? "Human sexuality is much more complex than the biological forces that initiate the sexual maturation process, " (The Development of Adolescent Sexuality). Adolescent sexuality does not only include physical development, but also emotional, social, moral, and cognitive development. Adolescent sexuality is usually associated with various risks, including unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, and this negative focus can be especially harmful because it can scare or prevent people from talking about it. No one said that having the "talk" is not awkward, but there is no reason to put off that discussion.

Related to this issue, I am also interested in how gender affects your view towards sex. Because of the way society frames female sexuality, girls generally think of virginity as sacred. "Researchers found that girls typically think of virginity as a gift, while boys think of virginity as a stigma (meaning they often seek to cover up the fact that they are virgins). In interviews, girls said that they viewed giving someone their virginity like giving them a very special gift" (Adolescent sexuality. (2014, October 21). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia).

AMK (Skirt), 2014

The purpose of my piece is to get people thinking and talking. I was inspired by Lisa Anne Auerbach, an artist based in Los Angeles who is interested in the way time changes the meaning of things and how fabric can outlast sentiments to create my artistic representation of adolescent sexuality. I didn't want a piece that was graphic. I wanted to make a loud political statement and encourage people to talk about sex, and so I decided to make my piece/artwork a wearable one.

GN (mannequin), 2014

I designed the pattern and created the print and skirt myself. With the help of a family friend I was able to print my pattern on the fabric. Squares are a major part of my print. They represent grounding because of their fixed lines. They also represent foundations (homes) because that is where, in my opinion, teens should be getting a foundation about sex.

My print/pattern has a very African vibe to it because I am African. Red represents sexuality which correlates with my topic, adolescent sexuality. Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body, and learning about sexuality benefits you both mentally and physically. Many of us think of the color green as the color of nature, but green also has strong emotional correspondence with safety, which communicates a message of safe sex to the viewer. Skirts are considered very feminine, and in the 1910-1912, women were only allowed to wear ankle-length skirt with no slit. I wanted my piece I utilized repetition because I am using the same color pallet over and over again. I also employ description because my print is vibrant and utilizes the sense of sight to capture people's attention. I would love for everyone to be wearing my art piece, instead of it being confined in a museum.

Statistics:

• A new study from Harvard finds that more than 40 percent of parents don't get around to talking to their kids about safe sex practices until after their kids are sexually active.
• Each year, U.S. teens experience as many as 850,000 pregnancies, and youth under age 25 experience about 9.1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
• A study on examining sexual messages in popular TV shows found that 2 out of 3 programs contained sexually related actions. 1 out of 15 shows included scenes of sexual intercourse itself.

Materials for skirt:

- Fabric: Cotton

- Needles

- Sewing machine

- Thread

- Buttons

- Scissors

- Color pencils

- Ruler

- Measuring Tape

- Fabric Printer

- HP Intel, a 3rd generation Intel core i5 processor
Works Cited:

1. Adolescent sexuality. (2014, October 21). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:16, October 22, 2014.
2. Unit, Courtney Hutchisonabc News Medical. "Don't Let the 'Sex Talk' Come Too Little, Too Late for Your Teen." ABC News. ABC News Network, 07 Dec. 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2014. 
3. Angela Oswalt, MSW, Edited by C. E. Zupanick, Psy.D. "The Development of Adolescent Sexuality - Child Development Theory: Adolescence." The Development of Adolescent Sexuality - Child Development Theory: Adolescence. Sevencountries, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
4. McKeon, Brigid. "Effective Sex Education." Effective Sex Education. Advocates for Youth, 2016. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.