There is a term that starts with a “C” and is exclusively reserved for women. It encompasses a spectrum ranging from physical violence to being perceived as argumentative and abrasive. This “C” word is a scarlet letter—both sexually provocative and culturally damning, an archaic fantasy for many. It is deployed to damage.

Catfight.

The term refers to a physical altercation between two women, often characterized by scratching, slapping, choking, punching, kicking, biting, hair-pulling, and wrestling. While these acts constitute basic forms of physical violence, there is no male equivalent to a catfight. Instead, the term inherently positions men as the root cause, with its origins tied to two women fighting over male attention. Since the 1940s, catfights have been a staple of American news media and popular culture, frequently used in a derogatory or belittling way, reducing female rage to base-level pettiness. Emotionally and historically charged, the term has shaped perceptions of female anger and aggression. Through mixed-media collage, my work highlights and celebrates the depths of female rage, exposing the hypocrisy surrounding its expression through physical violence. This body of work recontextualizes the catfight, stripping away social expectations and propriety to reveal raw emotions and frustrations.

Despite their hazy, atmospheric settings, these mixed-media collages are rooted in my own experiences and anxieties. They create allegorical scenarios that address only a small facet of the female experience of rage. Through the layering of paint and paper, the works confront issues of bodily instability, autonomy, sexual assault, domestic violence, and the micro-moments of rage—like the pit of annoyance felt when being called “honey.” The figures engage in surreal and absurd rituals of physical expression, their contorted movements defying reality and inviting elements of fantasy and satire. A bright, saturated color palette heightens the sense of whimsical instability, contrasting with the weight of the subject matter.

​

By freezing these experiences in time, the work amplifies moments of individual rage—dissecting every expression, overanalyzing every physical movement, and celebrating both the state of rage and the ability to express it physically. The emotions extend beyond the constraints of logic, spilling into a suspended state of disbelief. These figures scratch, shove, slap, punch, kick, wrestle, bite, spit, pull, and scream their way into a culturally burdened and taboo state—one of rightful, celebrated female rage.