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This exhibition represents the reality of life for all women looking through life with individual lenses. I wanted to represent my personal intersectionality which is being a straight white women and interpret other intersectionalities as well so that you, the audience, can get a better understanding of the struggles and strides us women have made over the years. It has been an uphill battle for women from all walks of life to prove that we are equal and worthy of basic human rights. Unfortunately we are still in this battle but we have come a long way since.  It’s not easy being a woman in a man’s world. Many of us have had to deal with oppression, discrimination, violence, abuse and so much more. Below I have different artifacts, songs and poems to represent us women with different cultures and identities. My goal is to help others understand how all women and our intersectional differences make each of our ways of life different than those with different identities. I want to also show how powerful women really are and we will always speak up and stand for what is right no matter the cost.

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During World War II, many of the jobs that men had had to be replaced by women since they were out at war. This poster was used to recruit women to work these jobs. After the boom of women working “man based jobs” it became a huge turning point in equality for women in society. Also this poster was one of the first non-sexualized way that society has represented women to the public.

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Recently France has been trying to create a law to ban Muslim women over the age of 18 from wearing a Hijab in public. Apparently this is an amendment to a law that the government introduced to address religious extremism. This is an attack on religious freedom and human rights. If this law is passed, it will aid in the normalization of anti-muslim hate. It’s so unfortunate seeing women discriminated against solely based on their religion. Muslim women should not have this basic human right to wear an item of clothing for religious purposes taken away just because it makes racist people uncomfortable.

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Women hold signs reading "Don't touch my headscarf" as they demonstrate Oct. 19, 2019, on the Place de la Republique in Paris. (DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP via Getty Images)

"France, the world is watching," Muslim American Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) posted on Instagram recently, with a video of herself wearing her religious head covering along with the viral hashtag #handsoffmyhijab. The hashtag, created by American Muslim women to support their French counterparts, spawned millions of videos on TikTok after France's senate voted to ban children under the age of 18 and mothers who accompanied them on school trips from wearing the hijab, and to ban burkinis at swimming pools.

This global movement came in stark contrast to the silence of prominent French voices, who have said little about the new provisions that are part of a law designed to fight the "separatism" that is supposedly threatening France.

These provisions came as amendments to a bill that was previously voted on by the National Assembly and condemned by major French human rights organizations as "targeting Muslims" and "violating human rights." Despite the outcry, the right-wing senators of the party Les Républicains decided to toughen the initial law.

The new version of the law creates new reasons to surveil Muslim citizens and restricts their freedom of religion in a way that has never been seen before.

While the secular law in place bans hijabs in schools and for civil servants only, the senate decided to ban religious signs for parents who take part in extracurricular activities, which basically means the exclusion of Muslim hijab-wearing mothers from school life.

Lawmakers also decided to forbid burkinis in swimming pools and to exclude any person wearing religious signs from taking part in a sporting event or a competition hosted by a federation or sport association. In a context where the French Football Federation is the only international body to restrict women with hijabs from participating in sport, the senate is amplifying the pressure on Muslim women who constantly face exclusion.

U.S. Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad posted on her Instagram account, "This is what happens when we normalize anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic speech and discrimination - a hijab ban that violates religious freedom. Regulating Muslim women's bodies in the name of secularism is both Islamophobic and oppressive." When she invited me for an Instagram live session to help her followers understand the situation in France, we were reminded that she might not have been able to be a champion if she were competing in France, where the organization Les Hijabeuses was created to fight discrimination in soccer. How can we take pride in the fact that the 2018 men's World Cup was won by a French team composed of a large number of Muslim players, while preventing Muslim women from achieving the same goal?

On the provision that prohibits anyone under 18 from wearing a veil in the public sphere - to prevent "the wearing by minors of any outfit that would mean the inferiorization of women" - one politician who supported the point said that "it is not up to the parents to impose dogmas on children." But this contradicts international human rights standards, which guarantee "the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions." This is all the more disturbing because the lawmakers recently set the age of sexual consent at 15.

French women soon decided to create a French version of the viral hashtag, #PasToucheAMonHijab, to protest a "discriminatory and freedom-destroying law," as one woman wrote. More than 70,000 tweets pushed for Muslim women to be "considered fully human" and demanded that lawmakers stop "making decisions on their behalf."

France has been discussing the outfits of Muslim women for at least three decades. In 1989, girls were excluded from middle school for wearing headscarves. Since then, France has singled itself out for an incredible number of controversies over Muslim women daring to appear covered in public. Women have been attacked and dismissed for leading a student union, being nannies, being part of a television singing contest, running for office, participating in a news show, attending a public hearing, volunteering in a charity, wearing a long skirt at school, applying for a job, being provided adequate sporting equipment, and in so many other situations. This article would not be able to name all the times when Muslim women's choices have been violently debated without them.

The provisions received unfavorable opinions from the current government and the law commission, and French President Emmanuel Macron's majority party in the National Assembly will probably not vote for them. But the fact that they have been approved by one of the two legislative chambers says a lot about how far lawmakers are ready to go to erase Muslim women from the public sphere. The debate, taking place without the participation of the main parties concerned, itself normalizes the exclusion of the community.

Muslim women are reclaiming their freedom over their bodies. Pretending to save them from oppression while banning them from activities is nothing more than denying them agency.
Read more: Rokhaya Diallo: What France does not understand about racism and safe spaces Rokhaya Diallo: France's ideological wars have found a new battleground: Universities James McAuley: Europe's absurd and hypocritical war against 'wokeness' is heating up Benjamin Haddad: Macron's critics need to understand what France is fighting Rabina Khan: Switzerland's referendum on burqas is an insult to women's rights and dignity

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Opinion | France's latest vote to ban hijabs shows how far it will go to exclude Muslim women

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"France, the world is watching," Muslim American Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) posted on Instagram recently, with a video of herself wearing her religious head covering along with the viral hashtag #handsoffmyhijab.

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Le Bal élégant, La Danse à la campagne by Marie Laurencin

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Le Bal élégant, La Danse à la campagne by Marie Laurencin

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Laurencin’s painting dates back to 1913. Her intersectional lens consists of being a bisexual woman that shows through her paintings. In her early years her paintings consisted of soft, ethereal images of women expressing sensuality which is what is seen in this painting. The goal behind her painting were that women would be viewed and respected through a more feminist lens. During the early 1900s the understanding of gender identity was very limited which means she had a lot of critique because of her paintings. This never stopped Laurencin, she always stayed true to her perspective and has always represented her sexuality unapologetically through her paintings.

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Your Body Is a Battleground by Barbara Kruger 

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Your Body Is a Battleground by Barbara Kruger 

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This art was considered feminist art which was very popular in the late 60s early 70s. Rather than creating artwork for the visual pleasure of the viewer, feminist art aimed to make the viewer question the social and political norms of society in the hopes that it would inspire change towards what feminism is all about -ending sexism/oppression. This art piece serves as a statement to show how women feel in this patriarchal society and how our society needs to gain a different perspective on how women are perceived in society.

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Firelei Báez is a Dominican-American artist whose large-scale paintings, drawings, and textiles evoke the beauty and political implications of hairstyles, textiles, and tattoos for those whose cultural identities have remained traditionally absent from dominant culture. This painting represents a woman with all of her cultural and unique intersectional identities from different racial backgrounds. Baez’s goal in this painting was to show off these different cultural aspects of women and make it big and beautiful to give power to those who were suppressed of their own culture in prejudice societies that did not approve of it.

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Alicia Keys wrote this song to embody the main concerns women have today about their bodies. Her goal was to make some sort of change to give others a new perspective on women’s’ bodies. All women in our society has experiences some form of body negativity and has compared herself to other pretty girls which makes them feel less beautiful. Our society brainwashes us into thinking a women needs to have a perfect body to be considered a beautiful woman. Society focuses too much on looks and not enough on personality. Keys’s song does a great job at making us women feel empowered and understood and that we are not alone in our negative thoughts about our bodies. These societal standards that are held for us women are too impractical and needs to be changed.

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This poem was written by Maya Angelo is an African American woman who was an American poet, memoirist and a civil rights activist. She was respected as a spokesperson for black people and women, and her works have been considered a defense of black culture. This poem shines light on the struggles women endure in our society. All women experience some form of oppression solely based on our gender. Angelo also empowers women through this poem with her words to not let society drag them down into these social norms. It's also important to account for her intersectional perspective of life and how that impacts her readers and her messages.

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Still I Rise by Maya Angelou | Poetry Foundation

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This was a very important moment in women’s history and has inspired all women to stand for what’s right. Unfortunately, we live in a man’s world and we have to protest our basic human rights. This photo was taken during a march in Greenwich Village, New York City in 1912. It’s important to understand how the patriarchy affects all women. In society women are seen as more inferior compared to men and have had experiences that were degrading. The female identity should not be seen as inferior but rather as equals to all other genders.

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In 1968 Chisholm ran for Congress and became the first black woman be elected for Congress. These buttons were worn by many to support her. Chisholm’s intersectionality includes being a woman and African American. Her experience in America was most likely filled with unfair prejudices and oppression especially during the 60s. After she was elected, she represented New York’s 12th District for seven terms. She then ran for president under the slogan “Unbought and Unbossed” which is a very compelling statement of independence from a woman whose ancestors had existed outside of American power structures for hundreds of years.

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Lesley Gore was known as an American singer, songwriter, actress and activist. This song became a hit 1964 and a feminist anthem. The lyrics asserted a woman’s independence within the context of a relationship. This song also gained a lot of perspective on relationships by other woman and this song has influenced many women to take their power back and to go against the patriarchy of men in relationships.  Gore’s intersectionality consisted of experiencing life as a queer woman. Her activist background has really shown through in her music and I hope everyone sees her as the intersectional queen that she is.

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After the 2016 election, two friends decided to create this hat as a power move against what President Donald Trump has said about women. Many women wore this hat for the post-inauguration protests to make a statement on Women’s Rights and how Trump is definitely not an advocate for this topic. This relates to intersectionality because women from all different walks of life came together to go against the patriarchal oppression that we all face. When women look at this artifact I want them to envision power among our differences. As a woman who has struggled with male patriarchy in our society; this artifact hits home.