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Description:

My chosen artifact, ‘Kintsugi’ by Rian Romero Gladnick, portrays a woman confined to herself with golden cracks across her body, symbolizing the strength found within imperfection. Inspired by Japanese art of mending breakages with gold, it reflects a journey of resilience amidst societal pain and opens discourse on defining femininity, sexuality and disability through differences.

Significance:

The concept of Kintsugi is reflective of human experiences and our journeys through navigating societal norms and expectations that often alter how we define our worthiness and self. We have socially constructed definitions of what it means to be a ‘woman’, what it means to be ‘sexual’ and place this as the pedestal of normality. As Bay-Cheng (2010) highlights, “women’s sexuality is constructed through oppressive norms and conditions”, within varying facets from sexual expression to sexual identity and with womanhood often reduced to biological functions such as reproduction, individuals living with a disability within this context, face unique challenges in defining their femineity to a world that dismisses it. I chose this artifact to redefine the reductive notion of biological reductionism that distorts our understandings of self and expression, rather reclaiming these perceived flaws as marks of strength and depicting that to be different is to be normal (Sharp, 2000). To be human is to have unique experiences that deviate from proclaimed norms. The artifact symbolizes the strength in imperfection, reflecting on how people living with disabilities, particularly women navigate oppressive societal constructions and establish it as token that encourages the reclamation of one’s identity.

Positionality:

I am interested in disability and sexuality as the conversation centered around these topics were dismissed and negated as human experiences due to religious upbringing. Despite my family not being heavily devoted people of faith, I did receive schooling education within a religious setting which reduced education to superficial normative and procreation framing. Sexual health is a human right and particularly within developmental years of youth where everything is new, and the
discovery of our differences comes to light. Everyone, including living with disabilities should have the “right to pursue opportunities for healthy sex and sexual expression (Rowen, Stein, Tepper 2015). Within my future role as a social worker, it is a critical need to not shame these conversations as I would have wanted the engagement to allow people of all needs to explore their sexual identities and access the care and resources needed without stigmatization. The social model as explored by Shakespeare (1996), depicts how it is society that is disabling, not one’s disability. Societal normative definitions of sexuality have proclaimed individuals with disabilities for example, as asexual, incapacitated of experiencing sexual intimacy nor have the desire. These attitudes to our differences explore why we need more diverse and inclusive sexual health discussions to prosper our understanding of selves and sexual identity.

Impact:

The impact of this subject holistically has been profound for both my personal and professional identity, reinforcing a foundational understanding that “sexuality is a vital aspect of any individual’s life course” (Pilgrim, Winter, Cook 2021). Sexuality in all its dimensions is for each individual to explore. It is for me, a part of me and therefore a part of everyone. It’s inspired me on my personal journey of sexual discovery and reclaiming of self, recognizing that though my MRKH for example, may challenge traditional narratives of femineity, but my sense of self and womanhood goes beyond biological reductionism that oversimplifies identity to a one size fits all approach (Sharp, 2000). The gem I take away from this course is that our sexual identity nor sexual expression are monolithic. It should not be constrained by normative expectations and understandings. The impact of this project specifically through the artifact chosen instead aims to present how it is deeply personal and a multifaceted journey of empowerment and choice of expression in the face of restrictive norms of disability and femineity.

Wish List:

I hope my artifact inspires viewers to rethink traditional definitions of femininity and disability and embrace the diversity that is ourselves. The Kintsugi metaphor invites people to see that what society may deem as a flaw is actually one’s mark of strength, beauty and resilience. It urges one to celebrate the many ways we are made and embrace how we define ourselves. My hope is that this artifact encourages others to view their bodies as complete and perfect in the manner that it exists in. No matter what society may deem as limitations, it revalues it as expressions of unique and powerful stories that we all carry and should therefore cherish. It hopes to add to the conversation that challenges contemporary sexual media and culture that limits rather than broadens ideas centered on sexuality and create a more inclusive society where everyone, regardless of their physical or biological makeup, is celebrated for their identity and recognised as a sexual being. One is not their disability, and I want viewers to consider how typical molds of normality are anything but normality. Our worth for love and intimacy is not equated to what our differences are. The Kintsugi metaphor mirrors this experience of helping others see their worth in a society that hides it.

Scholarship:

The art of Kintsugi exhibited within the artifact provides a visual metaphor that parallels the challenges that the medical model of disability and traditional outlooks of femineity bring upon the human experience and understanding of sexuality. Prominent voices in this space such as Judith Butler’s work on gender performativity challenge the token perceptions of gender, depicting it more as a performative expression than something dictated by biology. Directly relating this concept to the experiences of individuals living with varying disabilities and/or developmental abnormalities such as MRKH, it serves to disrupt the biological constraints that equate womanhood with reproduction. In reference from female sexual identity to female sexual expression, it has often held connotations of shame and control, exploring the surveillance and regulation of women’s rights to their bodies and intimate relationships. Santos and Santos (2018), refer to this as ‘intimate citizenship’ that are shaped by patriarchal and heterosexual norms that limit the rights to freely express one’s sexuality. For women with a disability, this intersectional discourse is even more pronounced with additionally layers of control through the medicalized lenses in conjunction with the cultural perceptions. These forces often silence their sexual experiences and find it to be dictated by external influences.

Similarly, along this understanding is the framing of the medical model of disability, framing disability as a biological limitation to be fixed rather the social construct which is encouraged within the role as an emerging social worker is that disability is socially constructed, shaped by imposing barriers placed by societal attitudes and framing than a deficit of one’s body. My artifact brings these scholarly discussions to life with the Kintsugi metaphor symbolizing how these perceived flaws are marks of strength towards these confronting societal views.