Personal is Political

The phrase "personal is political" was coined in an essay by Carol Hanisch, a women’s rights activist who suggested that the personal psychological ailments of minorities, especially women, was a result of larger political and social injustices suffered by these people. The feminist movement questioned why there were so few established female artists in society and why they were being barred from achievement of such a position. Women’s sexuality, spirituality, and nurturing role came to be artistically celebrated as a result of the feminist movement, and previously ignored aspects of women’s experience often became the subjects for such works. The personal and the political were fused together for the sake of a common cause: to liberate and celebrate previously the suppressed self-expression of all peoples who were not white males. The woman’s experience in particular became accepted material for art for the first time, and many female artists have since gone on to sustain professional careers and receive public commissions and awards.

As a female, I am extremely grateful to the brave women’s rights activists of decades past for making success possible for me as an artist. The role of women in society has been completely transformed due to their efforts. I am free to explore my passion for the arts, and I am free to network and promote my work without opposition. Though my own artwork is not particularly feminist in content, I feel that the messages I aim to send to my viewers are equally important, and I am thankful to have the right and the ability to make my voice heard.