Feminist Artist Launches Silk Scarves Made From Images Of Her Own Vagina

What does a provocative feminist artist do after livestreaming images from the inside of her vagina? If you’re Christen Clifford, you take those images, put them on a pink scarf, and market them as the “Pussy Bow.”

h/t: dailydot

Clifford told the Daily Dot that the 100 percent silk accessory, which she’s selling for $50 each, is a “natural extension” of her work: She’s tackled topics such as childbirth, harassment, rape, menstruation and other body-themed topics in various ways.

Beyond art, it was the increasing attacks on reproductive rights and access to abortion that spurred Clifford to want to put her pussy around people’s necks. As she put it,

“I want to fight the patriarchy with art.”

She considers her Pussy Bow a timely call to arms in an era when a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood clinic was recently the site of a deadly attack, and a woman in Georgia was arrested for inducing an abortion by taking pills. Clifford is even donating 10 percent of the proceeds to Planned Parenthood, an organization that’s especially meaningful to her because she used their services as a teenager, and has had an abortion herself.

On the Pussy Bow Tumblr, she puts it bluntly: “For me, it’s just my pussy. And I’d love for you to wear it around your neck.”

The project also gave her a different view of her genitals, literally and figuratively.

“The photo of my vagina’s interior represents so much to me,” she explained.

“I explored this space as a child, I have had much pleasure in this space, but also penises I didn’t want or like were forced violently into this space. I gave this space to humans that didn’t deserve it, but I have also shared this space with love and excitement and even pushed tiny mammals out of this space. This space grounds me and connects me to my mother and her mother and her mother, which I think is pretty cool.”

The scarves themselves are custom made by Clifford’s friend Cassandra Neyenesch, and can be adapted depending on the wearer’s size preferences. Clifford proudly shared that “a dandy I know just ordered one as a pocket square.”

Naturally, the outspoken Clifford is also a proud wearer of her Pussy Bow. She adorned herself with one at a Friendsgiving holiday dinner, and when asked about her scarf, responded,

“I made it. It’s a Pussy Bow. It’s printed with the inside of my pussy.” The response? “That’s awesome.”