Sweetheart
This pillow is from the vintage store I work at in Edgewater. It sits on my bed alongside my mother’s dainty childhood pillows.
It represents how as I’ve grown, my sapphic and feminist perspectives have complicated my relationship with my mom.
My girlhood was seen as sweet, innocent, and protected. My womanhood is seen as radical and harsh - yet threatened.
I am inspired by the women before me yet empowered to break the cycles that they couldn’t.
I still want to be a sweetheart in my mother’s eyes.
Image Description: A close-up of a dark pillow embroidered with orange flowers and the word “SWEETHEART” in large red and pink letters. Part of a white, lace-textured sleeve or fabric is visible near the bottom.