In a world where masculinity is tangibly linked to power and femininity to subordination, there is a constant struggle by women to feel free and independent of that power structure. While often this power dynamic is manifested through smaller, microaggressive misogynistic acts, it can also lead to a violent outburst in which the female body is subject to its terror and trapped in its confines. This traumatic event can stay with a victim for years, often never going away, and the individual is left to figure out new ways to cope and live with the grief that the trauma brings.

As a woman, I understand the frustration of feeling like you must condense yourself to fit gender stereotypes, and have felt the fear that comes with trying to break free of them. Having experienced that, I wanted to tell a story from the perspective of someone who has had their gender used against them. In Pull My String, someone is tantalized by objects of their past, which hold onto memories of a horrific gender-based violent act done onto them. It is about both recovering and reclaiming what is rightfully theirs, while also remembering. I used an experimental technique to narrate the chilling memories of this individual and abstract imagery to express the desire to control and manipulate the female body, which the narrator is breaking free from.