Noémie Ninot

Noémie Ninot
France
Born in 1999
Graduated from Duperré, Paris and the École des Arts Décoratifs, Paris
Lives and works in Paris, France
ninotnoemie@gmail.com
IG @noemieninot

Matriphagie
Matriphagie studies how society participates in the transmission and internalisation of norms related to femininity. In this quest, I set up a protocol where I came to meet and interview little girls between the ages of 4 and 11. The girls told me about their fantasies, their future mental and physical projections, but also how they unconsciously mirrored the gestures and language of their mothers, sisters and what they saw in the media, who themselves embody inherited norms.
These interviews constitute a collection of testimonies between clichés and transgressions; they enabled me to develop and substantiate a photographic approach based on ambivalence, the evolution of femininity and the difficulty of relating to oneself. These fantasies, although multiple and diverse, testify the violence of the stereotypes about the concept of femininity and what is expected of women.
The interviews and drawings collected show that girls quickly integrate the notions of artifice, seduction and bodily norms. Some already struggle with low self-esteem, wish for cosmetic surgery or go on diets with their mothers while others question their future role as mother and wife. These testimonies were then translated into images drawn directly from the words expressed, creating a dialogue between speech and visual representation. At the same time, the intervention of a make-up artist and the use of stylized elements allowed me to engage with these clichés, treating them as powerful social imperatives imposed on women.