ARTIST Poem: Prettier things, of course, by Emma Ryan

Women are turning into monsters
And it’s fashionable

We love long red claws
The sultry color of blood
The color has become sensual
We call it prettier things, of course
“Cranberry, sunburnt”

We darken our eyes
Smudge them on purpose
To mimic the stains of ferocious tears
We mimic pain
But we call it prettier things, of course
“Eyeliner, eyeshadow”

We dress up for attention
We aspire to invoke strong feeling
All dark colors and moody accessorizing
We call these prettier things, of course
“Feminine gaze, femme fatal, black swan beauty”

Call us extreme, call us monsters
We’ll become it
We’ll scare you in being it
But we’ll call it prettier things, of course
“Feminism, Fashion, Confidence”