Kelsey Higley is a feminist artist graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a B.F.A in Media Art. This book is a brief look back on Higley's work throughout her college career and a thorough discussion of her final capstone project, "What Binds Us."
"What Binds Us" is a series of self-portraits taken in professional settings in which Higley is veiled with a scold’s bridle. This medieval device was used to shame and punish women who were deemed too outspoken, or troublesome. It resembles a metal cage, which would be fastened around a woman’s head with a piece inserted into her mouth, often sharpened or covered with spikes to inflict pain if she attempted to speak. An officer would then lead her around town on a chain so she could be publicly humiliated. This photographic series links the present and the past by bringing the scold’s bridle into contemporary work spaces to create a comparison between medieval ideals and modern societal expectations for women in the workplace.
