I’ve always struggled with my bust in relationships. From the passing remarks of elementary school boys to objectifying comments from crushes, I lost faith for a while that I’d able to escape my chest shaping my image. It felt like, without it, I wouldn’t be able to find love.

While my relationship with my body is still one that’s developing, I’ve been able to learn through new relationships that my sexuality and femininity aren’t consolidated in my chest. Rather, these facets of my identity lay deep within me, beyond my skin’s surface.

The work depicts a posed self-portrait, with an exposed ribcage blurring away my breasts. Peonies, a symbol of femininity, love, and honor, bloom from within the skeleton, sprouting forth out of my ribcage.