Joy, Resistance
My senior thesis was an exploration of joy as a form of resistance to restrictive gender norms upheld by patriarchy. Traditional expectations shape behavior, appearance, and identity in ways that can feel inauthentic and limiting. Choosing joy through personal expression becomes an act of autonomy and a refusal to conform. By centering experiences of joy and self-expression, the project shows how simply existing as oneself can challenge systems built on control and limitation.