Bohemian Gypsy Girl is not just an art page. It’s not just the story of being a creative woman, and trying to live a creative life. It is all of those things, but not JUST those things. It’s the story of women owning what is theirs, owning their power, saying “yes” when they mean yes and “no” when they mean no and being heard. So much of art derives from joy or pain, poverty or riches, loss and love.
We cannot have a conversation about the use of “gypsy” without mentioning what it specifically means to be Romani and a woman facing racism, classism and sexism, excluded from traditional feminist and Romani activist movements. So, while the use of the word “gypsy” seems innocent, it is dangerous to Romani women. It conjures up a romanticized image of poverty and sexualization, which doesn’t acknowledge that there is nothing romantic about being a victim of institutionalized racism.
Acknowledging this racism, and taking back the language and society that has held us captive is the goal. This artists page is for Romani women, for black women, for LGBTQ+ women, for single mothers, for aging queens, for Hispanic women, for all women because we have been silenced, placated, and underestimated for far too long. Find your spirit. Let your journey be your passion that you show the world, or quietly nurture. It’s your choice.
