Growing up in South Korea, I remember a day in middle school when the outline of my bra was visible through my school uniform. My classmates immediately suggested wearing an extra white T-shirt underneath the uniform to hide it, even in the heat of summer. I never understood why. Everyone knows that women wear bras, so why should it be something to hide? To me, it was never something shameful.
That experience became the starting point for this installation. I wanted to bring everyday objects that are usually concealed into public view, questioning why they are treated as things that should remain hidden. By making these ordinary yet intimate objects visible, I challenge the social expectations that associate them with embarrassment or secrecy.
The installation recreates the familiar environment of hanging laundry—a space where personal belongings are unintentionally exposed in everyday life. Using clothespins, I display menstrual blood-stained underwear, makeup-removing cotton pads, bras, and stocking tights. Each object represents an aspect of women's daily lives that is often expected to remain private.
The makeup-removing cotton pads reflect the pressure many women feel to conceal their natural appearance beneath layers of makeup, such as foundation, false eyelashes, and other beauty products. They symbolize the expectation that women should constantly present a polished version of themselves. The menstrual blood-stained underwear represents a natural bodily experience that is frequently treated as embarrassing or inappropriate to be seen. Many women have experienced the fear of accidentally bleeding through their clothes, yet menstruation continues to be surrounded by silence and stigma. The bras and stocking tights symbolize the social expectations placed on women's bodies and appearances, reminding us of the ways femininity is often shaped by cultural norms.
By placing these intimate objects openly, I question why such ordinary and natural aspects of women's lives continue to be treated as shameful. This work invites viewers to reconsider the boundaries between public and private and to imagine a world where femininity, the body, and natural appearance can exist without embarrassment or apology.