Trapped Mermaid

What better symbol for beauty than the mythical mermaid? She is graceful and mysterious, the ideal woman in many ways (except maybe for the fish tail.) But even then, the metaphor goes deeper. A lot of us feel like we're inside of a fishbowl, beating the glass in hopes of getting out. Women are trapped by beauty standards, either by their success to meet them or their failure. The results are that they are gawked at, or stuffed away on a shelf, hidden from view.

This drawing captures that idea. We normally think of mermaids as life-size creatures, but I wanted to go miniature to liken her to some sort of fairy in a jar   still beautiful   and to emphasize the diminution she unjustly experiences, both at the hands of others and herself. The mason jar familiarizes the scene, as well as the open cabinet. It's as if a mad scientist keeps beauty as a little pet that he really does not care for, and she is doing all she can to get out.