This exhibit strives to give you a more honest and healthy view of who we really are physically. Specifically, this project deals with prejudices such as sexism, racism, and ageism, and judgements about weight and height. While it does use our appearance as a springboard to discussion, IN THE END, WE MUST UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS WHAT IS INSIDE A PERSON THAT MAKES THEM WHO THEY ARE.

The notion that body size, skin color, age, etc. alone is a reliable measure of a person's physical, emotional, and moral well being is simply false. An excellent example is a 35-year-old female I recently worked with. She commented that people continually tell her what a "good body" she has and how "lucky" she is. She wanted to be a part of this project to prove how mistaken that assessment is. She was diagnosed with brain cancer and recently it has spread up her spine and into her ribs and lungs. To make judgments about this person from her appearance totally misses the mark of reality.

While it is a fact that we are sexual beings and that this is an extremely strong and important part of who we are, we are more than just that. Some advertisers are focusing exclusively on this aspect to such a degree that many people are defining themselves and others based on this alone. It is simply basic logic that, "we do not define the whole by one of its parts." By overemphasizing this aspect to the exclusion of all the other things we are, again misses the mark of who the person is.
We need to be able to look at the human body and see "shape" and "form" and the resulting beauty that comes from their juxtaposition. To understand the real concept of "beauty," comparisons need to be seen within ourselves, not as opposed to someone else or an unrealistic "image."

Through this exhibit, it can be seen that the concept of "beauty" applies to ALL shapes and sizes, not just to "a" shape and size.

The old adage of, "divide and conquer" has never been more skillfully applied than to that of "gender separation." Millions of dollars are made from mystifying the "opposite sex" and "keeping us in our place."

Through conversations I have had in working with more than 450 people, one of the things that has stood out, is how very similar we all are. Before gender, before race, before anything, we all have the same connection - WE ARE ALL HUMAN BEINGS. We all have wants, fears, needs, fantasies, etc. and they are not that different within us all.

By dividing people into categories, we lose that connection by making people, "the other." By losing our connectedness, we fail to see how our prejudices harm others and ourselves. We are not separate, "what goes around, comes around." It is vital to understand that, LACK OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IS NOT "A WOMAN'S PROBLEM," IT IS NOT A "MINORITIES PROBLEM" - IT IS A "HUMAN PROBLEM" THAT IS UNFAIRLY FOCUSED ON A CERTAIN SEGMENT OF OUR SOCIETY AND IN THE END, EVERYONE SUFFERS FOR IT.

We all have prejudices of one kind or another and it may well be that we never completely rid ourselves of them all. What we can do, is to become aware of this fact and constantly work at minimizing the effect. It is difficult to sort out our true beliefs as we are constantly being bombarded with negative messages that creep into our subconscious.

One of the goals of this project is to place it in front of as many medical personnel as possible. In my research, I have found claims that women and minorities have not received as thorough health care as do white males. This should come as no surprise, as doctors, nurses, etc. are all human beings and are open to the same subtle influences as the rest of the population.

Changing societal views is very difficult at best, BUT IT CAN BE DONE. Every journey takes steps to reach its destination. Perhaps this project is just "step 15" in the thousand steps it will take to get there. I do, however, feel that it is a valuable step to push us along the way.

One person alone rarely creates change, it takes an effort by many like-minded people who work together. For my part, I am committed to stage this wherever I can throughout the country until it does make a difference. If this project makes sense to you, please join with me to help bring about change.

Participation can take many forms, from being a piece of art in the exhibits to simply sharing your feelings with others about these concepts. Open and honest communication with each other is extremely important. Just knowing that we are not the only person that feels a certain way gives us strength and resolve.

We can start by taking personal responsibility for ourselves. We must challenge our own attitudes before we can effectively change the world. A good place to start is that WE NEED TO QUIT GIVING OTHER PEOPLE PERMISSION TO DEFINE WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE ARE WORTH.