Personal

The subject of Gender is one which is close to me on a personal level. Two of my children are part of the LGBTQ community in that my 2nd child Lizzie is Trans (she was born a boy) my partners 3rd child is Non-Binary (they were born a girl but do not identify as either gender).

In watching them develop their identities it became obvious that the clothing in which they found themselves were having an adverse effect on their mental health. Before they were able to finally express their needs properly they were made to wear clothes which were incorrect for them. The clothes became more and more problematic until it reached a point that it was like there was a monster in the wardrobe and the children didn't want to go near.

We teach our children to try and own their fears and problems and so it becomes about taking control of the problem and in this case taking control of the monsters. They have learned to express themselves through exploration and have owned the monsters. 

I wanted to explore the idea of "owning the monsters" in my gender neutral designs. I am exploring the idea of the clothing being wearable as well as being a stand alone piece of art which explores the ideas we have experienced directly with our children.




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