Artist Statement

his piece was made during the height of the “Girl Lunch” era. This trend featured girls and women showing off their unconventional lunches, often consisting of small portions. This piece takes that idea and pushes it a little bit further. It depicts an open lunchbox with a lunch consisting of diet coke, 5-hour energy shots, melatonin, and anti-anxiety medication.  

It’s intended to depict the often unrealistic body expectations pushed on women, especially young girls to be extremely thin. These expectations were pushed onto me in high school, and I struggled severely with them. It led me to skip meals, instead relying on caffeine to get through my day. This led to constant exhaustion and stress, and this is something I saw a lot of my friends struggle with, too.  

I wanted to contrast the childish idea of a lunchbox, with the jarring contents inside. It’s meant to showcase the harsh reality that occurs when society pushes extreme thinness on young girls. I utilized a muted color palette and colored pencils to create an almost blurry effect, similar to the sleepy haze people float through when they’re extremely hungry. It was important to me that the piece brought to life the real and dangerous effects that unrealistic body standards have on young girls.