Look like a Lady: Five Visual Tropes of Womanhood and How to See Ourselves Differently

Summary

Images tell powerful stories about how women should look and act. We may think girl power and body positivity have replaced tales of helpless, beautiful princesses, but contemporary images in popular culture continue to perpetuate harmful stereotypes. In Look like a Lady, art historian Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt uses personal narrative and art history to uncover five limiting visual stories that have shaped us:

• Venus: the beautiful body desired by men
• Vessel: an allegorical figure or a container for meaning
• Maiden: young, vulnerable, and acted upon by outside forces
• Mother: a romanticized, impossible maternal ideal
• Monster: the wild creature in need of taming

Weichbrodt challenges these restrictive scripts that continue to exist in popular culture and faith communities and presents five empowering counterstories from art history. These alternate viewpoints tell a richer story about God's heart for women is told, leading to healing and freedom. This book helps Christian women correct and expand their vision of womanhood for today.