The Ideal Woman Box

In a society shaped by media, the idea of a harmonious community has been embedded into the collective mindset of people. But what happens behind the facade of this seemingly perfect society? What events are happening that are not visible to the public eye? And how are gender roles being portrayed in this society? This issue is explored in The Ideal Woman Box, a book that challenges the irrationality of the ideal female paradigm and questions the media censorship system imposed on women.

Using the collage technique, the book exposes the illusory concept of the ideal woman that has penetrated every aspect of life in Chinese society. The box’s exterior features the perfect image of an ideal woman. However, behind this ideal woman is the true expression of femininity, which I combined the words and images I collected from the project Femininity Glossary. These authentic representations of femininity are freely written and covered on top of the ideal female paradigm.

The interior of The Ideal Woman Box highlights three real events addressing the impact of media censorship on women. These events include the experiences of female medical workers during the pandemic, the exclusion of women during the Spring Festival Gala, and the discourse surrounding International Women’s Day.

The book can be read in two ways. When read vertically, it displays the propaganda of the official media that people usually encounter. However, when the hidden and censored content is revealed by unfolding the vertical content horizontally, it exposes what is not seen and challenges the ideal female paradigm.

The Ideal Woman Box was made as graduation project at Pratt School of Design.