I recently followed @sarahbahbah on Instagram after being mesmerized by many of her trending images on various social media platforms. Bahbah's art initially interested me because of her unequaled ability to expose the thoughts of her subjects, the individuals she photographs, through organic, provoking dialogue. Her self-expression triggered a desire in me to gain a fresh insight into the world and become an activist for the issues that impassion me. She discusses many controversial and relevant topics in her annotations; including casual sex, indulgence, and homosexuality.
Bahbah's double standard- free portrayal of the natural desires and attitudes of women acts as a source of empowerment for her female crowd. She encourages behavior in women that counters society's definition of what constitutes as respectable, such as casually hooking up (with any gender), and ensures women that wanting to and partaking in these acts wrongs no one. Her focus on intimacy and various private moments create a sense of security amongst her viewers by allowing them to let go of shame and embarrassment. Historically and in the present day, possibly following the Industrial Revolution and the rise of competition amongst groups of people, sexist, weak men pressure women to hide pieces of their lives and suppress components of themselves; such as their ambition or sex drive. This display of insecurity evinces that these men create mental falsies to boost their confidence and ensure themselves that they have a natural superiority to all other races, genders, and sexual orientations. They then parade around bragging about how many women they have been with, boasting phrases such as, "grab them by the pussy" (the President of the United States). When a successful businessman, such as Donald Trump, acts in this manner it earns him the title of the presidency. Overlapping with this unfair reverence, women who express sexual interest towards another being, or simply offend a male, get branded "sluts". Especially, during this politically divergent time, Bahbah's ability to spread much-needed truths constitutes major applause, especially from those who feel the wrath of fierce American oppression.
I identify the most with her series "For Arabella". The storyline commences with the main character "inhaling pasta" on a date. She orders an alcoholic beverage at what is believed to be an early hour by the waiter. Bahbah portrays an intelligent, passionate, and respectable individual that many women can relate to. Her character holds an aura of confidence throughout the sequence and depicts the beauty of women remaining true to themselves in a variety of settings. Bahbah's character's promiscuity, along with her consumption of food and cynical attitude towards relationships, contradicts typical femininity. Some time ago, possibly as a product of industrialization or a phenomenon tracing back to mechanical solidarity, society designated women as submissive creatures with a purpose of shutting up and looking pretty. Bahbah redefines this role in "For Arabella". Current and historical expectations withhold that women should maintain control of themselves all of the time, yet men notoriously feel the need to restrict women because of their inherent inability to remain in control of themselves. Bahbah creates an inspiring character to contradict this and encourages women to exercise their fantasies, eat what they want and stay true to their feelings, even if it is perceived as harsh or inappropriate.
Bahbah not only challenges standards on women but also sexuality; a subject that not only pertains to women. Just as many members of society are and have been opposed to the rights of women, many individuals have been opposed to homosexuality and/or bisexuality. In "For Arabella", the main character is portrayed as having sex and intimate conversations with men, and forming connections with females as well. Bahbah's art serves as a modern glorification of all sexual orientations and embraces the many different layers of humankind.
When I came across Bahbah's images, I felt inspired but was unaware of how much I would learn and grow from them. I found myself enjoying the connections I made with it and reflecting on her art when thinking about my past experiences and facing new ones. I identified with every one of her characters to some level and develop new, important thoughts from each crafted dialogue of hers. Sarah Bahbah inspired me to express myself in an artistic manner so that I, too, can enact change in the world, as she is doing. I am happy to release this as my first blog post and owe my inspiration to start my writing journey to my mom and to this art. This is my personal form of activism and self-expression.
Bahbah captures her models in candid moments and uses them as inspiration for her dialogue, along with her own personal experiences.
(Source: http://www.sarahbahbah.com/for-arabella/b3lu6g9ycqowmaszxnvezzev5qj5f3)
Hope you felt as inspired by her as I did, x
Hope you felt as inspired by her as I did, x
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