Whether it is Carravagio’s use of figs, Vermeer’s use of milk and bread, or Boucher’s use of grapes; artists have a long history of avoiding censorship by infusing food into their portrayals of eroticism. Sexuality and food consumption are deeply linked in their life-giving qualities, how we use language to describe the experiences, and the viscerality of the acts. Because of these similarities, food has always been a valuable tool in the discussion of sexuality. Drawing on this tradition, I have explored two extremes in representing female sexuality. These familiar foods draw on common innuendos and are intentionally shocking or humorous, but maintain a darker edge in their full context. This contrast highlights the paradoxes of the conversation surrounding female sexuality. 

Jello salads are an iconic symbol of traditional femininity from the 1950’s. As US culture shifts towards Christian nationalism and tradwives, the 50s and its extreme sexual sanitization loom. At the same time, many women and queer people find the hyperfemininity of 50’s fashion to be liberating for their personal gender expressions. In reviving the trends of time period, are we reconfining women to a subjugated role in society or is the reclaiming of the iconic symbols a source of power? 

In contrast, meat is the only form of cooking traditionally linked to masculinity. In portraying female forms with the raw food, the combination becomes a type of gender queering. With the addition of meat preparation and tools, the divisive world of BDSM is also introduced. For some women, the combination of pleasure and pain is freeing, but it also is another example of the brutalization of women’s bodies. Meat and Jello, both slippery and visceral, push the boundaries of what is considered beautiful or grotesque and challenge our cultural norms.