Little Red Hen Series
Chickens are symbols in feminist narratives, and the artist is often portrayed as her alter ego “The Little Red Hen” from the classic children’s book. The hens, as well as historical and pop culture references serve as a metaphor for society’s expectation of women to assume many roles simultaneously, and “have it all,” often without necessary support. Mocking notions of female conformity and perfection allows the audience to laugh at the ridiculous lengths women, (Bender included), are willing to go to in order to fill all of these roles while clinging to their sanity. There is often a sense of nostalgia and sentimentality in the imagery, but also an eerie, unsettling feeling from the incorporation of surrealist elements that break the viewer’s sense of security.