A Lady at Table, A Whore in Bed

As a young girl in Mexico, I learned at an early age about the double standard imposed on women and their sexuality. “Los hombres quieren a una dama en la mesa, y a una puta en la cama” (“Men want a lady at the table, and a whore in the bed”) is a statement I heard at fifteen, and it still lingers in my ears. -Ana Teresa FernandezFor contemporary women, it is often difficult to reconcile the ubiquitous images of virgin and whore in our culture: clean vs. dirty. It is a fine line that becomes the point of demarcation for women to dance around. ”

In her series of paintings, “Ablutions,” Fernandez asks the question, “What does it mean to be clean in today’s society?” What is it that we are constantly trying to wash away? Our sexuality, our dirty thoughts, our profane desires, our lustful, violent tendencies? And to what end? To places that all smell the same, people that all look the same, speech that is censored before it is spoken, images that never appear for fear of leaving some permanent stain?

Women are inequitably impacted by the realities imposed by our cultural double standards. I’ve been experiencing it since my mother made me wash my white socks – which I’d been running around the house in, chasing my four year old brother – by hand in the bathroom sink.  Scrub away the dirt(y). White, white, white. Whitewash everything. Brides in white, panties in white, tips of fingers and toes in white. My brother received no such punishment, was taught no such rituals. His dirt – of which there is plenty – when not respected, was at least tolerated and was typically seen as a badge of toughness.

“My work investigates how women identify their strengths and sensuality in performing labor in which there is no visible economic or social value, and which is frequently considered ‘dirty,’” says Fernandez. It’s funny that we are still struggling with these questions, but we’re lucky that they have inspired such lovely paintings.

Check them out at http://anateresafernandez.com

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