High School Student Creates Condom Dress to Make a Statement
One of my Facebook friends, Beth Feldman, shared her daughter’s AP Art project on Facebook. The project, a magnificent gown made exclusively of Condoms. When I saw this, I reached out to Beth and asked if I could interview her daughter. I was so impressed with this dress that I needed to know more.
Here’s what she said.
Hi Hilary! My name is Rebecca and I’m 17 years old. I go to New Rochelle High School and I’m in AP Art for sculpture. For this class, there is a concentration portion of the artwork which focuses on a certain topic or idea in which you must create about 8-12 pieces. My concentration is based on feminism and the issues that women face throughout the stages of life.
(H) What gave you the inspiration to make this project?
(Rebecca) I’m an avid feminist. I whole heartedly support the rights and building up of women. We are strong, but could have a bigger and better place in the world. Being 92 cents to a man’s dollar is not the world I want to live in. I want to live in a world of equality and that’s what gave me the idea for my concentration altogether. The dress specifically fell into the subject of rape culture and how women are being put down when they are the victims here. No woman should be put down for being raped. It is never the victim’s fault.
(H) What is the name of this project?
(R) The name of the project is “Still Not Asking For It.”
(H) Why did you use condoms? Was it a statement?
(R) I used the condoms to address the idea that women should be able to wear what they want without criticism. People always point out that if a woman’s skirt is too short, she’s ‘asking for it.’ That is not the case at all. A woman is only asking for sex if she consents to it. I showed that a woman could literally be wearing the symbol for sex and still not be asking for it.
(H) How many condoms did you use?
(R) I used about 1,000 condoms for the dress. I would like to thank Trojan Condoms for making such a generous donation so that I could complete the dress for my class.
(H) What are your plans for the future?
(R) For the future, I don’t really have any plans on becoming a full-time artist. I would love to express myself through my artwork and get messages across to others in a peaceful but also dramatic way. I do plan on attending a university in the fall of 2017 that has an art program fitting for me. I would love to explore all of my options at a university but also hold onto my passion for art.
