Artichoke Project are exploring 'what a Real Woman' is

Funny, I had an idea of doing something like this, called "Women at Waitrose" taking photos of my fellow customers for a display on a bit of board I have in my garage. There are women of colour and various ethnicities, women of heights varying from 4ft something to about 6ft, thin women, fat women, a lot in between, women who've come in from riding, women wrangling toddlers, women dressed expensively, scruffy women, women with or without make up (mostly without), very old ladies with walking aids, women who just qualify as out of their teens, women who've come from offices, farmers, etc, etc. I don't think I'd have to reject anyone for being a bloke, haven't seen anyone in our local.
There is such a plethora of women, and not one of them tarted up to the nines.
But I couldn't do it, because of the relative of a partner I get on well with, and she might take it badly.

An insight into men wearing their mums wives and daughters underwear and thats it.

Had a look through and honestly a lot felt really dated. Honestly didn't we figure this out in the 70s when we started discussing the male gaze?

Seeing a bloke dressed as a woman and exploring feminity is hardly original now.

It's utterly nonsensical.

I had this discussion with a well intentioned friend who was passionately declaring that a man with a gender identity is a 'real woman'.

The only way that has any meaning at all, is if he knows and relies on me knowing that by 'real woman' he actually means 'biologically female'. He is therefore trying to insist that a man can be a biological woman.

He can't. I'm sorry that's a sad reality for someone to face, but it is what it is. And it's staggeringly offensive to women to try to engage them in pretending themselves away to nurture a man's desires.

The one good thing about this whole gender identity shitshow is that it's imploded the notion of a 'real woman' and a 'real man'. Like men and women are ideas that can be quantified.

It's like it's woken many of us up to a fact we knew deep down all along that a man or a woman is simply a matter of biology.

To me, this dates the premise of this exhibition, unless of course it has an agenda to push a certain ideology.

Pity Paula Rego's gone. She pretty much nailed for me.

What insight might the experience of transgender women provide?

The male gaze with an extra twist of misogyny? 🤷‍♀️

Me too.

I am just so sick of contemporary art. Has all the depth and subtlety of a Wonderbra advert in fact it's all just advertising and political statements getting ideas above their station. What does it really mean to be a woman? How do women see themselves – in relation to each other and to the rest of the world? How does a woman decide the kind of woman she is? Who’s looking? Who’s judging? What insight might the experience of transgender women provide? We asked to hear from any artist who identified in any way, if they felt they had artistic insight to share. Season 4 of The Gallery garnered nearly 900 responses, of which 11 works by international artists were commissioned to explore the theme ‘A Real Woman’.https://thegallery.org.uk/
They just have to include One is not born a woman....
Seriously can anyone name an artist of any real merit.

Less scope for self indulgent musing twaddle, innit.

The plain fact is not all that exciting. Women are women.

Well yes, women are vastly different to each other. The only thing we all have in common is the experience of being an adult human female. I doubt they'll "explore" that fact though.

There is no single or simple definition of a woman

There really is. There may be no single or simple experience of being a woman, but all the people having those various and varied experiences of being a woman will meet the single and simple definition of adult human female.

If they don't meet the definition of adult human female then they are not having an experience of being a woman.

TRAs always use such disingenuous language don't they?

The frequent rhetoric around 'pluralities of womanhood' and 'many ways of being a woman' on the surface of it sounds like wonderfully inclusively third wave feminism - women come in all shapes and sizes, all colours and creeds, all walks of life and they all deserve equal opportunity!

Can't help but assent to that....until you scratch the surface of what they REALLY mean and discover that what they really mean is "there's a plurality of womanhood cos we've decided that womanhood now includes men. And if you've got a problem with that, you must be a regressive right winger who thinks that women only belong in the kitchen. BIGOT!"

There is no single or simple definition of a woman.

Pish.

"I hope the different perspectives presented by our artists will inspire viewers to consider the plurality of the female experience"

Oh let me guess, the 'plurality of experience' is all about males

"and thereby encourage understanding and empathy towards those whose lives are shaped differently from their own.”

translation: encourage your obedience to the faith that the most important thing about women is men.

They can "explore" it all they like as long as NO public money is being spent on it.

Our national finances are already in a parlous enough state without spending a single penny on "exploring" something which we have been perfectly straight on for millennia.

There is no single definition of woman

What an offensive, misogynist fool

You mean: exploring the experience of men who want us to believe they’re women?

Nah. Couldn’t think of anything less interesting tbh. I’m sick of men in bras and men in women’s sports and men putting on dangly earrings thinking this is womanly essence and men boring on about their “identity” and men potentially coming into my DDs’ private spaces. 🥱🥱

“There is no single definition of woman” 🥱
We all know what this is going to be about…

I would have loved to see an exhibition which genuinely explored the female experience. I’d also be really interested to see an exhibition exploring the transwoman experience. They are substantively different, and I’m not sure they have much in common - why would they?

I believe now Twitter is X there's been a crackdown on linking to other websites. Idiotic, but there we go. I imagine that's why your tweets disappeared, rather than any sinister reason.

Well, I’d like to see digital billboards with “A Real Man” exhibition…..followed by all the BBC and other media discussions about them being led by female presenters and female interviewees. Let’s face it, that’s been women’s experience over the last few years,

I think 15/20 years ago ot would have been really interesting look into stereotypes, 'womens work' ect but now.... 😐