Modern girls don’t wait to be rescued

Inspired by the stranded princess Rapunzel waiting helplessly to be rescued by the handsome prince, it made sense to twist the story into a more contemporary tale. I love the idea of using contrasting elements in my images to create both tension and interest, and here I have created a surreal and magical fairy tale landscape that contrasts with the beautiful, modern, converse wearing princess taking a quick selfie as she prepares to escape the tower after cutting off her own braided hair to use as an escape tool.

I think it is really important to teach our girls from a young age that they are strong, independent and resourceful and they can achieve goals all by themselves. We also see the other extreme today where girls become too obsessed and self-absorbed, which is not only annoying to those around them, it can also be dangerous for their own safety.

It is not my intention as an artist or a mother to promote narcissism, however, the occasional selfie to brag to the world about how amazing and clever you are for escaping imprisonment is certainly well deserved!

The tower here was created using a sweet potato that I layered a brick texture over. The plait was a hair braid that I bought from Priceline, and then magically extended it in Photoshop. The grassy hill in the background was originally an avocado.

Alternative title: Need to escape quickly when imprisoned in a gothic tower? There's an app for that...