Artist: Micol Hebron
Website: http://micolhebron.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unicornkiller1
Micol Hebron is a unique artist. As an expression, she varies in medias and styles. Art to her is a way to implement the change she wishes to see in the world. She began her art in college as a way to cope with trauma of being sexually assaulted in her life. Not only was this a way to speak her truth and hear others’ truth, but this was a way to connect with her community. She does not have one medium of art, but she tends to organize events and bring people together, like her feminist hiking club. Another event that she organized was an ongoing annual women’s march in Utah, where the majority Mormon population does not focus on women’s rights. These are merely some examples of her vast work as an artist.
The art of hers that I would like to focus on is her performance or organizational art, and more specifically her work for “freeing the female nipple” on social media. Her work consisted first of pushing the limits of Instagram’s policy of no female nipple posts. In a series of posts she tested these rules. Her posts were meant to be shocking by nature. In most posts, she used sharp contrast between the female body and the obscure objects covering the nipples. Some posts consisted of simple lines covering only the nipples and leaving the rest of the female breast exposed. The most significant clump of posts consisted of using male nipples as digital pasties to cover the female nipples. This concept had the most impact in the long run.
Instagram’s nipple policy was simply a catalyst for Hebron’s rebellion of social medias’ absurd, sexist attitudes. Hebron mentioned how she was almost excluded from an Instagram meeting on their nipple policy even though they had invited a male who performed a later work of performance art based on her entire “nipple policy” idea. From that meeting, Hebron realized that Instagram was ignorant as they did not gender neutral bathrooms, capably accessible bars, or plastic free utensils. Hebron’s work reflects an exposure of a male-dominated space. The idea of female nipples being indubitably sexual reflects the bigger problem of womens’ bodies not being their own property and being explicitly judged. There is no viable reason as to why a male can post a shirtless photo, being overtly sexual and a woman can not post a topless photo where she is not trying to be sexual but get taken down anyway.
My experience listening to Micol Hebron’s presentation exceeded my expectations on all accounts. As a female with a body of my own, limited by others’ expectations, I related to her values on what should not be restricted by a male-dominated world. We also discussed the idea of sex-ed in schools and how it lacks in its content. A comment was made about how some men think that period blood is objectively disgusting. Seeing the reactions made me realize that this battle is not yet won. As long as we can not discuss these issues openly, there is work that needs to be done. I personally see Hebron’s work as a service to young women today. If I would have known what a normal period looked like before, I wouldn’t have felt so ashamed of my own experience. Even today, I lack confidence in my own body to leave the house wearing what some would call “exposing” clothes, but I call comfortable clothes, without fear of being catcalled or judged. This is why Hebron’s work is so impactful.
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