TAYA PRESHAW

Cool Girl, 2022

Ursula Frayne Catholic College

My painting is the antithesis of the ”Cool Girl,” a quality which prioritises male fantasies over the expressions and desires of our own female personalities. To celebrate the unique beauty of all women, I have painted a confident and self-assured South-Asian woman. She wears an eclectic print suit to highlight that she exists solely for herself. Seated in a position of assertion, she looks back calmly at the viewer, challenging the male gaze. Through her steady contemplation, she communicates her refusal to mould her identity to society’s standards, which has often favoured fair skin, blonde hair, and a smiling demeanour.