Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

This Q&A series focuses on artists contributing to the #ArtisticVisionPgh project cosponsored by Most Wanted Fine Art and Penn Avenue Eyewear. Our first contributor is HollyHood who will be performing at the Silent Auction.

Name: HollyHood

Website: www.hollyhood156.com

Twitter: @HollyHood156

How old were you when you first had to wear glasses? 30 – sometimes my vision would blur a little bit by using the computer. i was prescribed reading/computer glasses. i hate going to the eye doctor! they blew air in my eye and in flipped out and started cussing (haha!). its also extremely difficult for me to put anything in my eye like drops, so going in for an appointment is always an “interesting” experience. ive even had one eye doctor suggest that i have a couple drinks before my next visit. 😛

How old were you when you had to pay for the glasses you wear? 30 – my insurance covered the cost of my first pair because they were super plain. when i got my next pair i had to pay extra (out of pocket) because i wanted something a little more fancy. now i have NO insurance! go figure…

Have you ever had to “fix” your own glasses with tape, string, glue, etc? nope

Tell me about a character in literature, film, television or other pop culture who wore glasses and how that resonated with you for good or for bad. tina on the cartoon bob’s burgers wears glasses and i love her. lol no seriously, i never really paid attention to whether or not someone wore glasses.

Describe your relationship with your glasses now. they sit alone at the bottom of one of my many bags, with scratched lenses, swimming in cracker crumbs, cantaloupe seeds (dont ask why i have cantaloupe seeds at the bottom of my purse), and unchewed gum that has somehow gotten out of the wrapper. in other words, i dont treat them very well.

There’s a pervasive stigma about wearing glasses for young and old, but an equally pervasive idea that glasses indicate intelligence (or hipness.) Explain that duality. i am intelligent and hip (as f***) lol. so this is true. 😉

i dont know when the glasses = hipness thing started, but it just makes me want to yell ‘HIPSTERS RUIN EVERYTHING!’ im not sure how true this statement is, but i really like saying it. 🙂

eh…i think this is just another stereotype, but one that we don’t think about often because it doesn’t seem to be as harmful as other stereotypes related to things like weight, race, and gender, etc.

Can you describe how the cost of vision health services has had a negative impact on your life? i do not have health insurance so i do not go to the eye doctor or update my prescription.

Tell me about your work for this exhibit. my work is going to be called “whip whop whore.” and it will basically include some pieces that display some of the downsides to being a female in the hip hop world. for the most part it will be related to body image issues and self-love

How can readers learn more about your work? www.facebook.com/hollyhood156