Tabitha Barnard

Cult of Womanhood

Growing up in a small town in rural Maine, my contact with others was limited. I was raised alongside three sisters and lived in a close-knit religious culture where sexuality was never mentioned. Our household was staunchly Christian, I witnessed the demonization of sexuality and femininity in our church, yet I was surrounded by powerful feminine energy. When she was fourteen, my youngest sister called for a meeting between the four of us. Disclosing her secret relationship with another girl and her queerness. While she was accepted and loved by my family, the push-pull between existing as a queer woman in a religious community, especially during puberty was a struggle. This struggle was played out on her body as she picked and scratched at her skin. Almost mimicking the blood and suffering we spoke of while taking communion. As a young woman, I watched while girls changed from children to objects sexualized by older men. My photographs explore religion and the community I created with my sisters, lifting a veil on a formerly intimate and private exchange between the four of us.