Artists see in shapes, shadows, and color. I wanted to see in shapes, shadows, and color. I did not want to pass judgment on my body or the bodies of others. I knew that if I were to translate a form from the three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional surface, then I would have to focus on the shapes, shadows, and color. I wanted to become an artist.

I began my thesis wanting to find a reason for females’ difficulties and struggles to accept their bodies after finishing an internship at an eating disorders facility the previous year. For my senior thesis I painted 22 of my peers at Wellesley College.