Look like a Lady: Five Visual Tropes of Womanhood and How to See Ourselves Differently

For Christian women who feel disillusioned by expectations of womanhood, this book uses personal narrative and art history to uncover five limiting visual stories that have shaped us--Venus, Vessel, Maiden, Mother, and Monster--and five counterstories that lead to healing and freedom. Five Stories You Inherited as a Woman--and Five That Can Set You Free Images tell powerful stories about how women should look and act. And whether we notice them or not, those stories shape what women believe they're allowed to be. We may think girl bosses and body positivity have replaced tales of helpless women whose looks matter more than anything else, but scripts that set limits for women in popular culture and our faith communities persist. In Look like a Lady, art historian Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt uses personal narrative and art history to name five visual scripts that have quietly malformed us: Venus, Vessel, Maiden, Mother, and Monster. For every limiting story, Weichbrodt uncovers a counterstory from art history that reflects God's richer vision for women, leading to healing and freedom. "Weichbrodt highlights counterstories that transform our imagination of women: from objects to subjects, from biological mothers to spiritual cultivators, from monsters to sisters." -- Jessica Hooten Wilson, Pepperdine University; author of The Scandal of Holiness "This is a book that men should read with humility and heed with generous spirits. I pray that Weichbrodt's book finds a wide readership." -- W. David O. Taylor, Fuller Theological Seminary; author of A Body of Praise and To Set the World Aflame "An astonishingly rich book--visually, imaginatively, and intellectually." -- Karen Swallow Prior, author of The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis Five Visual Tropes That Have Defined Womanhood--and the Art History That Redefines ItImages tell powerful stories about how women should look and act. And whether we notice them or not, those stories shape what women believe they're allowed to be. In Look like a Lady, art historian Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt uses personal narrative and art history to uncover five limiting visual tropes that have quietly formed us: ● Venus: the idealized body defined by the male gaze ● Vessel: an empty container waiting to be filled with someone else's meaning ● Maiden: young, passive, and acted upon by outside forces ● Mother: a romanticized, impossible maternal ideal ● Monster: the wild creature in need of taming We may think girl bosses and body positivity have replaced tales of helpless women whose looks matter more than anything else, but scripts that set limits for women in popular culture and our faith communities persist. For every limiting story Weichbrodt explores, she uncovers an empowering counterstory from art history that reflects God's richer vision for women and women's identity--leading to healing and freedom. Featuring full-color illustrations and the author's own hand-drawn images, Look like a Lady is for Christian women who feel disillusioned by expectations of womanhood and are ready to expand their vision of what it means to be a woman made in the image of God.