Sunday Best

The inspiration for Sunday Best came from the idea of how the colours of red and white are associated with traditional female stereo- types. White signifies purity, innocence and virginity, while red symbolises promiscuity, temptation, sin, and often also fertility. The white dress depicts the idea of the female body being perceived as needing to be ‘spotless’, yet the red gloves and the striped hat demonstrate the paradox of a woman being expected to conform to two juxtaposing ideals. The inability to see the woman’s face behind the hat evokes the idea of the female being invisible in society, lacking recogni- tion as an individual, as they are valued only in terms of their sexuality and repro- ductive capacities. The idea of combining this symbolism with the title “Sunday Best”- which embodies the idea of wearing your best outfit to church on a Sunday - is a construct intended to invite reflection on the question of does what we wear define who we are, who are we trying to be, how are we perceived?