Date of Award
Spring 5-1-2024
Document Type
Thesis
College
College of Visual and Performing Arts
Degree Program
Fine Arts
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Thesis Advisor
Claudia O'Steen, M.F.A.
Committee Member
Stephanie Sutton, M.F.A.
Committee Member
Shaun Cassidy, M.V.A.
Keywords
Interdisciplinary art, media studies, online aesthetics, gender studies, identity building, identity, meme, illustrations, selfhood, social media, online performance, performance, subcultures, girlhood, girl aesthetics, pink, glitter, rot, rat, girl boss, sad Tumblr girls, bimbos, dark academia, nail polish, pop culture, TikTok, Instagram
Abstract
Does individual identity curate our personal environments, or do environmental variables infiltrate the idea of selfhood? My work is a journey of questioning the origins of selfhood while simultaneously trying to understand identity through the lens of the physical world and online landscapes that influence me. Through an examination of identity work, the history of pop culture icons, and online aesthetics, my artwork is immersed in gender, sexuality, and media study conversations that help me better understand myself and others that heavily engage online. I am an interdisciplinary artist working in digital drawings, collages, and installations with my media reflecting the literature I immerse myself in. It is through the navigation of these worlds that my selfhood collides with consumerism, tradition, and rituals that draws me to question power dynamics and structures within today’s society.
Recommended Citation
Foss, Maddie, "Girl Rot" (2024). Graduate Theses. 157.
https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/graduatetheses/157
Included in
Interdisciplinary Arts and Media Commons, Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons
