The Male Gaze (Repetition Compulsion)

The power of repetition compulsion is represented in the recurring red lines that cross through the dancing female figure. She is being watched by a man behind her, which impacts her ability to hold true to her essential nature. In a patriarchal world and rape culture, women are often in a position of looking to the “other” to define themselves rather than turning that energy back where it belongs, with themselves. The dancing figure represents the feminine rising (in both men and women) that is in need of protection to reclaim the unlived life outside of oppressive definitions and restrictions. The intention behind the sigil in this piece is reclaiming the life that might have been in a less oppressive, less violent world.