Creative Work

 Sabrina Sapoznick

Looks and Intelligence- Unrelated and Nonequivalent, 2025

This acrylic painting is a replica of the original painting "Women withRed Wine" by Pat Kelley. This replica is the artists interpertation of women working in the STEM field, experiencing the double bind standard. The double bind creates an environment that makes women feel like it is impossible to succeed; if a woman is too kind then she is weak, and if a woman is strong or stern then she is rude. Beside this peice is an interpretive poem that gives the painting a storyline and the woman in the painting a name. 

Maria

A pretty face-

Her body, the image of seduction,

Framed as thoughtless frolic,

Thoughtless.

“Maria,” she says,

Offering her name like a handshake.

But they don’t hear Maria.

They don’t hear at all,

instead, they scan for what she’s worth.

Beauty mistaken for thoughtlessness.

Nine to five,

She enters rooms built by men for men.
Hard hat in hand, badge swinging with her name,
The scent of sawdust, steel, and stale coffee,
Men in steel toe boots look up,
And her heels echo louder than their silence.

A dozen suits and the pretty face-

“How’d she get this job?”

Her name, 

like her potential,

Forgotten.

But Maria speaks,

Voice steady, spine straight,

And still, they look down on her,

From below.

Single-minded in tailored cuffs.

Maria with opinions?

Who taught that woman to talk back?

“Maria”

She whispers to the mirror,

Repeating the name like a battle cry.

Holding back the watery eyes,

Because today shell have it their way,

Kill them with kindness.

A smile stretches across the faces 

Of centuries of women’s resilience,

Brave enough to play the part,

Of someone unbreakable.

To prove she is not weak.

But still,

The smile slips.

The room shifts.

Tailored cuffs take over.

“This isn’t work for the delicate.”

Dirty hands, heavy lifting,

Too much for a soft face,

A body shaped like hers.

But Maria is carrying more weight than they will ever know.

Maria speaks,

Her voice careful and calculated,

A measurable force.

But to them, assertive is aggressive,

Quiet is weak.

There is no right answer,

For a woman in a crowd of tailored cuffs,

With red lips and opinions. 

Her mother,
A woman amongst tailored cuffs as well,
Taught Maria how to lead with both strength and care.
“Be twice as good,” she’d say,
“Then smile like it was easy.”
She knew the double bind—
Too firm, you’re cold. Too soft, you’re weak.
Maria watched her balance both,
And learned to do the same.