This painting, neon pink with bold, clashing text
and symbols, immediately grabs attention—mimicking the hyper-saturated,
carefully curated aesthetic of social media aspiration.
The square format, resembling an Instagram post,
directly links it to the visual culture of self-affirmation, “glow-ups,” and digital performance.
But beneath the glowing colors and uplifting words, the work critiques the
hollowness of social media affirmations, questioning who they actually
serve and whether they create real change.

The repeated text—“You is kind, you is smart, you is important”—comes from The Help, a film that itself has
been criticized for its white savior narrative and
oversimplified depictions of race and agency. In the film, the line is meant as
an empowering mantra, but within this painting, its endless repetition
and bold, synthetic color scheme transform it into something more unsettling.
By pulling from this pop-cultural moment of forced sentimentality, the
painting raises questions about the ways Black affirmation is often
filtered through white narratives, repackaged, and then circulated as feel-good
content. In the age of social media, self-worth is often performed,
packaged, and optimized for engagement.