Xiuwen Cui, Angel No. 2, 2004, photograph on paper, Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
Twelve identical clones of a pregnant, teenage girl line up in a row. The model’s clear skin, childish haircut, raw pink toes and large fumbling feet emphasize her adolescence. And yet, her sexually spread legs and swollen stomach detract from her virginal youthfulness. Slumping backwards, her body looks exhausted from the burden of pregnancy. Conversations about pre-marriage pregnancy and female sexuality, are especially taboo in the artist’s home of Beijing, China. Anxiety regarding the population crisis in China only heightens the judgement of unplanned pregnancy. The conflicting messages of virginity and sexuality show the impossible standards which young women face. The adolescent girl must remain a virgin that the objectifying standard of the male gaze sexualizes. The male gaze is as old as the classic Chinese architecture in the background and as contemporary as the glass table on which the model sits. The juxtaposition between new and old suggests the continuation of female objectification throughout eons of history. Neither youth nor the sanctity of pregnancy can protect women from the male gaze.