Portraits can be more than the recognizable appearance of an outside person.   Many women recognize the dichotomy between band- aids and cake in this picture.  Intense pleasure gives the illusion of taping the self together.  But, cake is insufficient tape plus one piece of cake often leads to another causing fat-guilt.

Some notice the gun but see themselves as in not THAT much pain. Other people understand the cake band-aid connection but can’t see the gun. When these people are told about the gun they insist it doesn’t exist until a someone else puts their finger physically on the lower picture.

Chocolate Cake, Band-Aids, and Gun, always becomes less a picture of me,  and more a mirror of women viewers themselves.  nancymauerman.com

Chocolate, Band-Aids, and Gun