Spoken Editions

Throughout the long history of art, fashion, and popular culture, most representations of women depict the female form as an object of desire—whether the subject is an eroticized odalisque in a nineteenth-century painting or a hyper-sexualized model, actress, or singer on a twenty-first-century magazine or album cover. Fortunately, a few superheroes of the art world—writers, performers, illustrators, painters—have used the very platform of art to expose the sexism and inequality often found lurking beneath its gilded surface. Lena Rushing is one such artist who uses her commanding talents to remind us that although women must never be objectified, their beauty and innate power should be continually celebrated. Episode written by Jenny Ashley.