Your Instagram feed is about to be flooded with posts from yet another “selfie museum.” But this time, instead of colorful backdrops full of ice cream and candy, expect them to feature nipples and cash. And no, your friends didn’t all just go to a titty bar.
Let us introduce you to That Lady Thing, a feminist pop-up starting this Sunday in the Mission and running through August 9. Created by ad agency Eleven as a one-off for International Women’s Day back in March, it’s now back with a vengeance, tapping into the wild fervor around selfie meccas.
The Bold Italic recently got a preview of the pop-up. And while there were some winning moments, we also left conflicted about the whole affair. The exhibits are meant to be light-hearted, interactive representations of three major struggles women face—sexual harassment, wage disparity and corporate discrimination—but some of the execution is off-putting and makes for some confusing internal conflict.
Take the Sea of Objectification, a pit made of squishy disembodied boobs. “Every morning we wade into the familiar waters of misconduct,” the sign reads, noting the percentage of women who’ve “experienced unwanted and inappropriate sexual advances.” On one hand, the set-up could be read as a playful. On the other, how and why would anyone make sexual harassment playful?
We found that experiencing That Lady Thing can be both fun and awkward at the same time. Luckily, one thing it seems to do is facilitate conversation—meaning, you’ll probably find yourself leaning over to the stranger next to and asking: so…what the hell do you think about this whole thing?
You’ll likely have a lot of other questions, too—we did. So, to jump start your impending tirade, here are a few thoughts that will probably come to mind as you selfie your way through That Lady Thing, exhibit by exhibit.
The Sea of Objectification: A “ball” pit full of foam boobs meant to comment on sexual harassment
- Is this meant to be meta?
- Are we reclaiming something by grabbing these metaphorical boobs?
- Did anyone not stop to draw parallels between the physical reaction to having your boobs grabbed by an unwanted party, and the fact that we’re now diving into an actual pit of owner-less tits?
- But also, is it wrong that all my fantasies of sleeping on hundreds of boobs could come true in this moment?
- What is it about boobs that brings up so many complicated feelings internally?
- Why is this not a sea of dicks?
The Corporate Climb: A pink rock wall you can climb instead of an actual corporate ladder
- Can you do this in a skirt, and how short is too short, really?
- If that girl did it in heels, can I?
- Does each rock have significance? Like, is the first one getting hired for a job and the next getting hired in a field with not a lot of women in it?
- How did stupid Steve get promoted over me even though I was doing all the work for our project?
- Which rock do you think is “taking a break to have a baby”?
- Do you think Steve has a baby rock?
The Wallflowers: A series of backdrops designed by women and lit with ring lights for optimal selfie action
- Do you wanna take a selfie with me?
- Will you take a picture of me?
- I’m sorry, I meant, will you take a Boomerang of me?
- Have you seen this #effyourbeautystandards hashtag?
- Am I the only one getting actual anxiety from the imposter-syndrome design?
- When did we start using the eggplant emoji as a symbol for dicks anyway?
- Have you ever even seen a dick that looks like an eggplant?
- OK, but really, do you think selfie-awareness is a thing?
The Money Maker: An enclosed box full of fans that blow fake money at you to grab out of the air
- Is this real money?
- OK, but how nice would it be if it was?
- Have you ever asked your coworkers straight up what they make? Even the guys? Even Steve?
- How do you think I should ask for a raise next month?
- How did we never cover the basics of wage negotiation in high school?
- How do I still remember everything about Shay’s Rebellion but know nothing about the median rates for my position in my industry?
- Are you gonna go into that box?
- Will you bring me some fake dollars to cry into later?
Post-Museum:
- What the actual fuck just happened to me?
- Why is 2018 so…this?
That Lady Thing runs from August 5–9 at Great Northern, 119 Utah St. in San Francisco. Entrance is $25, which gets you access to the three major “exhibits” and a themed cocktail. Proceeds from a silent auction and donation center go to the National Women’s Law Center.
Hey! The Bold Italic recently launched a podcast, This Is Your Life in Silicon Valley. Check out the full season or listen to the episode below featuring Jessica Alter, founder of Tech for Campaigns. More coming soon, so stay tuned!
