Jennie Ottinger
My current work is about women. I focus on cheerleading
squads and sororities, two groups that tend to be considered
frivolous or vapid for a variety of reasons, some valid and some
not. I exaggerate femininity to highlight the common perception
that anything with women as the main participants is regarded
(consciously or not) as less important or less serious than
typically male pursuits.
These groups also present complications for feminism, though in
fact both organizations were started or vastly expanded by women
when there were few, if any, options for women. I acknowledge
that it can be challenging to sympathize with cheerleaders and
sorority members, who are generally associated with privilege,
but these contradictions and gray areas are what I find most
compelling and worthy of exploration.