"Scarcely had her prayer ended when a heavy numbness seized her limbs; her soft breasts were encircled by thin bark, her hair grew into leaves, her arms into branches; her feet, so swiftbefore, were now held fast by sluggish roots, and her face became the treetop. Only her beauty remained.”

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This myth is steeped in patriarchal tragedy and highlights the enduring framework of phallocentrism—a system that dichotomizes male and female, positioning masculinity as dominant, essential, and central, while relegating femininity to a subordinate, derivative status. In this hierarchy, Daphne’s narrative embodies the "second sex,"perpetually passive and defined in relation to male desire and power. Even in her ultimate act of transformation—a metamorphosis born from desperation—Daphne cannot escape being objectified, reduced from a free, autonomous being to an ornamental symbol, forever bound asApollo's laurel crown.

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In this project, I use wool, yarn, and other soft media to construct plant-like forms, juxtaposed against the smooth texture of khaki fabric. The “plants” emerging from the slits evoke a metamorphic process, symbolizing the transformation of the human body from within. This interplay reflects philosophical explorations of the body's vulnerability and the ways in which feminine forms have been reshaped and objectified through cultural and material narratives.

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This piece serves as a critical reflection on the dynamics of gendered power and the concept of 'the second sex' as articulated in feminist philosophy. It forms the first part and prelude to my 'Project Daphne,' an exploration of resistance, embodiment, and the reclamation of agency in the face of patriarchal structures.