PETRA Collins is an artist, photographer, curator and someone who uses her 140 Twitter character limit to let the world know she’s ‘just chilln' playing with my pubes and bleeding like the goddess i am’.
The 20-year-old Toronto-based artist also oversees an online platform for female artists to showcase their work called The Ardorous which she describes as ‘full of ardor but each with a unique artistic style and voice.’
“I find it interesting that images addressing sexuality and reproduction are hidden and often looked at as disgusting” said Collins.
Collins’ latest work for American Apparel has come as a shock to many as it features what she describes as “taboo topics about female sexuality - pubic hair, masturbation, and menstruation.”
The sight of a bleeding vagina on a plain white t-shirt has certainly got people talking.
“I find it interesting that images addressing sexuality and reproduction are hidden and often looked at as disgusting,” said Collins.
She does have a point about what we view as socially acceptable, particularly when it comes to fashion.
Titillating photographs of females, sometimes topless or even spread eagle, on men’s t-shirts have become mainstream high street fashion, but Collins' arty interpretation of a vagina immediately gets the ‘put that thing away’ Twitter tirade.
As author Thea Euryphaessa commented in our article earlier this year about ‘sanitary’ wear, ‘It’s just blood – what’s the big deal? And if you find the idea of handling your own blood ‘horrifying,’ you might want to question where you got that idea from.’
That said, is this a particularly appealing piece in terms of fashion design? Not really. And if it fails to make sales, it should be for that reason alone.
American Apparel will do anything to raise an eyebrow (and their prices), but it's clear Petra Collins feels strongly about how women view their own bodies and wants to make an, albeit controversial, difference.
While there is a lot to be said for educating and celebrating the female form and all that goes with it, an exhibitionist t-shirt wouldn’t be most people's medium of choice, including my own. But was it her aim to make sales, or to start the conversation?
If it’s the latter, she’s already succeeded.
The Ardorous X American Apparel Period Power Washed Tee costs £28 and is available here.
