Visual Art: Handle With Care

By Rora Blue

My dad first introduced me to feminism when I was a teenager. He bought me the book Full Frontal Feminism. Since sexism is something that I experienced frequently growing up, I really connected with the themes in the book. I became extremely passionate about sexism and women’s issues.

Last spring I decided to turn that passion into art. I was taking a women’s studies class and I felt inspired to speak out about the sexism that I have experienced. I wanted to give other women a platform to speak out as well. I decided to make a six part photo series titled Handle With Care.

Handle With Care series explores sexist comments that are used frequently today. Some of the phrases I used are things I have been told during my life, others are comments that other women have submitted to me. The photos aim to capture modern day sexism and some of the pressures that women face in society today.

A striking red color is used throughout the series to evoke emotion within the viewer. I wanted to use a very bold and striking color to make a statement. The color red is also associated with women during their period, making its prominence throughout the series especially relevant.

I titled the series Handle With Care because people often perceive me as fragile since I am small and since I am a woman. I frequently have heavy objects taken away from me because people think I can’t carry them on my own when in reality I more than adequately can. Titling the series Handle With Care me pushing back against that assumption.

I hope that Handle With Care will encourage conversation amongst all people. I want the comment section of the photos to be a place for women to speak up about the sexism that they have experienced. I also want men to join the conversation and talk about these issues. I think that the more people that are talking about sexism the better. Handle With Care is my way of contributing to the conversation.

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Rora Blue is a young established artist living and working in Northern California. She focuses on producing conceptual and interactive art. Rora’s work is defined by her use of striking colors and ability to involve the public in her artistic process. She has produced two viral art series and has become well known around the world for her ability to merge the worlds of art and technology. Rora is best known for her work The Unsent Project, the largest collection of unsent texts. The project has over 28,000 submissions and has been featured in The Huffington Post, Good Morning America, Refinery 29, ect.