Mi hija es una santa
The image I referenced is of a tapestry that my parents have hung in our house in Mexico since I can remember. I wanted it to look as close as possible to the tapestry. Our Lady of Guadalupe is in the middle and at each corner we see the four most important sequences of events from the story of Juan Diego y La Virgen de Guadalupe. In my reinterpretation of this image, I added a mouth, an eye, and hands in the four stations.
The mouth and the eye symbolize the voices and gazes of women who criticize or mistreat other women under the guise of protection. Their judgment and rage against a system that objectifies and undermines them is directed at the women in their communities, further perpetuating that system. Ultimately, we are all victims.
The hands represent what I was once told by a priest because I was wearing a dress: “You cannot go out like that and expect to be respected. Men will want to touch and after they do so that will not be enough because it is in man’s nature to not be able to resist.”
The title for this piece, "My daughter is a saint," reflects my belief that divinity exists within all women. It plays on the word "saint," suggesting that it is subjective and open to interpretation. To me, a person who embraces both their feminine and masculine energies, asserts ownership over their body, and not only stands for what they believe in but also fights for their right to exist embodies godliness.
I'll conclude with the transcript and voiceover I recorded when I shared this drawing on my social media, along with a mention of the songs that inspired me throughout the creation process.
"De niña, no me gustaban los vestidos. No eran cómodos y, cuando me ponía uno, no tenía permitido jugar con otros niños o andar en bicicleta porque a lo mejor se me miraba la ropa interior. Me dijeron que la ropa que me ponía indicaba mucho sobre mí. Por ejemplo, algo con escote quiere decir que me gusta la atención y que no tengo vergüenza. Ropa que me cubre el cuerpo quiere decir que me respeto, pero me mintieron. Un sacerdote me llamó egoísta porque me sentía bonita en un vestido, pero si no me pongo ropa femenina, soy rara. No importa lo que le ponga a mi cuerpo porque mi cuerpo es un objeto, no me pertenece. Por mucho que me quieran proteger, no se dan cuenta de que no es a mí a la que le tenían que decir “Que no se te vea la ropa interior”, si nunca había consecuencias para los que les gusta ver la ropa interior de niñas con vestidos."