In a culture where women are pressured to be smaller, I want to show women who are not afraid to take up space both physically and socially. My sculptures contend with classical depictions of “The Venus” as a symbol of passive, anonymous and enticing femininity displayed for the sole purpose of visual pleasure and the male gaze. By complicating the representation of a woman’s body, I resist summary and objectification and instead acknowledge their humanity and their agency. I unapologetically present big bodies with bulging bellies, rolls, and stretchmarks to subvert the dominant narrative around what is normal or acceptable for a woman to look like and to explore beauty standards as a powerful cultural construction. I want to point out beauty as a social currency and recognize how body image translates to how one values themselves and how society values them. I want to create honest vulnerable moments that remind people we are not alone in this experience and we are not the problem.