You Better Work, 2024, pants, epoxy resin, concrete, rebar, thread steel rods, hardware nuts, woven labels, spotlights, projectors, speakers / two-channel video, various sizes / 10 minutes 30 seconds, installation view: Grand Tour, HEAD – Genève, Geneva, CH. Photo: Théa Giglio

Seven pairs of empty, epoxy resin-fixed pants take stances in space. Reflecting back from their glossy surfaces are two videos, projected on the mirroring walls that confine the space. Each pair’s individuality is highlighted by showering spotlights; distinct expressive legs’ positions; and the name-brand woven labels stitched to their rears. Their airy, ghost-like presence is contrasted by the dense concrete feet, grounding them in place. 

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Plastered on one wall are larger-than-life characters, appearing in the form of talking pants, speaking out of their crotch areas, delivering female-empowerment monologues. On the mirroring wall, a set of repetitive grooming actions—typically visible only in private situations—made by a human hand on the pants from the first video is visible. 

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In You Better Work the Western archetype of feminine success is cast as “boss bitch”, or in academic terms, “neoliberal feminist”. Figures like Beyoncé, the Kardashians, Jennifer Lopez, and Gwyneth Paltrow embody this trope. Through their shared capital, power, influence, and agency they set impossible standards for women by promoting the idea that work and determination alone can elevate women on the social ladder regardless of social positioning.

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Whereas the first-channel video depicts charismatic characters giving simplistic yet persuasive advice, the second channel exposes manual gestures—hinting at the hidden labor behind the characters’ glamorous facades. The mirroring of the two channels confronts us with the myth of individuality and meritocracy that neoliberal feminism propagates. It sneaks a peek at the process of achieving “success,” which often is done by stepping on others in order to climb up the neoliberal ladder.

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“You Better Work”—an advice or perhaps a threat—aims to reveal hidden mechanisms of neoliberal feminism and dissect its pressure on women to “have it all”. While expressions of empowerment are persuasive, they add to the expectations projected onto women. As Beyoncé phrased it—“How we smart enough to make these millions/Strong enough to bear the children/Then get back to business”.

You Better Work, 2024, pants, epoxy resin, concrete, rebar, thread steel rods, hardware nuts, woven labels, spotlights, projectors, speakers / two-channel video, various sizes / 10 minutes 30 seconds, installation view: Grand Tour, HEAD – Genève, Geneva, CH. Photography: Théa Giglio

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