This photographic series explores the persistence of early 20th-century gender expectations for women. Despite modern norms supporting careers and later milestones, marriage and motherhood remain dominant cultural expectations.

For this project, I revisited 1950s sitcoms like Father Knows Best and I Love Lucy, which idealized the nuclear family, and contrasted them with noir films like Mildred Pierce and Dark Passage, where women subtly challenge societal norms.

I researched fashion, hairstyles, and makeup from the 1930s-1950s, drawing from all three decades to reestablish the salience of these gender norms. Set primarily in my childhood home, the series reflects the enduring relevance of these standards. Digital photography allowed me to manipulate color to evoke feelings of discomfort and constraint, mirroring my own experience with these expectations.