October marks Long Beach Arts Month and the Long Beach Post has partnered with the Arts Council for Long Beach to celebrate the image makers, the painters, the dancers, the designers, the musicians, and the countless other artists who make our city vibrant and cultured. Our homepage will feature an artist’s own unique interpretation of Long Beach daily so make sure to check back every weekday to discover or rediscover a local talent.
Angela Alannouf calls them mujeres mutantes, or mutant woman—the artist’s way of calling out to women to challenge (and play with) common conceptions of what it is to be a beautiful female. The born’n’raised Long Beacher has the most beautiful, eloquent way of describing these otherwise complex creatures:
“Mujeres mutantes are essentially just women who ditch the docile, non-opinionated, everly cute female archetype that rears itself so often in media and then, subsequently, wreak havoc in all of their thick-bodied, tiny-titted, boisterous, buck-toothed, burly glory.”
Alannouf’s concept of femininity lacks any connection to its stereotypical definition—that is, she refuses to take part in the idea that the identifying aspect of females revolves around nurturing or submissive behavior.
“In my work, the characters reflect the often neglected and unfavored facets of female humanity—not just the pretty parts,” Alannouf said. “For me, that is largely more relatable and unifying.”
For additional information, visit www.mujermutante.com, and for regular postings of her artwork, follow Angela on Instagram @mujer.mutante.