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Nailed It: These Illustrations Perfectly Sum Up The Double Standards Women Face

Every woman can relate to this.

Something that every woman can relate to is experiencing all sorts of commentary regarding their outward appearance. Whether these comments are coming from other women, mothers, fathers, friends, boyfriends, husbands, coworkers and even strangers, one thing remains universally true: you can’t please everyone.

Daisy Bernard, a London-based fashion illustrator, was inspired by the double standards women face in every day life, creating a series of visuals to support the contradictory statements women constantly are bombarded with.

The illustrations show the contrasting criticisms that comes with one’s decision to dress, behave and carry oneself when you are a female, regardless of the environment.

Bernard shared that she was inspired to create the series after the news broke that a Muslim woman in France was being forced to remove her clothes on a beach due to wearing a “burkini” earlier this summer, a story that not-surprisingly caused outrage and sparked an international dialogue regarding societal expectations in regards to appearance.

“It made me realize it’s more than just clothing that women are policed on,” the artist explained in an interview. “None of these things are particularly unusual or outrageous, they’re things that unfortunately most women are all too familiar with. It’s stuff that we often dismiss because it’s just ‘the way of life’ - which it really shouldn’t be.” 

The series brilliantly showcases what women experience specifically in the workplace, in relationships and in their overall appearance, displaying how one person may comment one extreme, while another may comment another perspective in the exact same environment, situation or outfit.

Check out the all-too-relatable illustrations below.

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