I am responding to Estefania Quirino's post about Laura Aguilar, especially her comments about Aguilar's body becoming an extension of the earth. I was absent the day Laura Aguilar was presented and after reading all the posts on her I am very sorry to have missed that class. I have definitely been suffering with sever body image issues recently to the point that sometimes I don't even want to leave the house. Seeing these beautiful pictures is a nice reminder that the world is far larger than what cultural pressure to be thin can make it feel. I react to Estefania's focus on Aguilar's connection to the desert and the earth because I have had that experience of feeling extremely distant and removed from my own body, like it somehow is a separate entity. Presenting herself in nature I think is more than just Aguilar revealing herself to the world, but finding a connection within herself that links herself to her body in a very tangible way. Nature is a force that is fully present in its existence, which is a feeling I often yearn for when I am feeling separated from myself and insecure about my body.
I also want to note Estefania's comment that Aguilar's "body is untouched, much like the desert." I am not entirely sure what that means because it feels positive in the way that she cannot be moved, broken, or manipulated, but also negative because feeling fat and self-conscious can be very isolating (at least for me). At times, I have become so uncomfortable with somebody touching me because my body does not feel like my body. Perhaps, because I didn't see the presentation, I am only projecting my own experience onto her work, but like most of my classmates I find I am moved by her art. I love to see her owning her body and her work is definitely encouraging in my own struggle.
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