Proper and Wrong

Passion project artwork to encompass the experience of gender dysforia.
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Symbolism and their meanings: 
Rose thorns - objects such as the corset, lipstick have thorns growing from them to symbolize the “pain” which comes with trying to fit into the assigned gender norms even when it is painful.
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Bandages and scissors- binding of one’s chest.
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Ruined makeup - just like the rose thorns, all makeup in the image is ruined of rubbed off, in a almost painful manner with nothing being entirely clean and much of the depiction can be connected to how makeup is portrayed in media when expressing a character in distress (running mascara, smudged lipstick, gnawed nail polish )
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Mirror - the reflection shows what wants to be shown while the viewer can see that the hair, made to look shorter in the reflection, is in fact longer. This can be interpreteded as how one wishes to be viewed versus the version you find yourself needing to hide away in order to be perceived as one wishes.
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Crack - the crack In the mirror splits the face to different aspects. Left is colder and right is warmer, left looks resentful and angry whilst the right is sad and defeated. This wasn’t initially intended but is a fitting depiction.
Black roses - ‘mourning, loss, elegance’ meant to symbolize the end of an era of sadness and the coming of a new era. 
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Purple rose - ‘royalty luxury’, works for the blue green orange color palette, with royal emitting a more regal feeling and green brining out feelings of growth and renewal.
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The color red - in the artwork the color red is used sparingly, most often aside from the broach used for the items which are indicated to cause any sense of pain.
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Ring - ‘beauty, responsibility, self-analysis’
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Other - much thought was placed into the expression, of which was meant to show restrained emotion or numb resentment. The importance of the face was large in the work as it needed to fit the specific emotion perfectly.
Trans colors - hidden throughout as reference to the artwork’s true meaning.
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Time taken: 51 h 43 m