"Hiss-Teria"
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Prints: Limited edition of 10
About The Artwork:
"Hiss-Teria" is a bold and unapologetic piece of feminist black and white art that confronts the subtle and not-so-subtle ways society polices women's expressions. A hissing possum clutches a protest sign that reads, "Don't Tell Me To Smile," reclaiming space for anger, resistance, and emotional autonomy. With sharp symbolism and playful wordplay, this illustration challenges cultural expectations that women should remain pleasant, passive, and aesthetically pleasing at all times.
Possums are often misunderstood creatures—small, nocturnal, and frequently underestimated. But they are also incredibly resilient, adaptive, and resourceful. Known for their “playing dead” defense mechanism, they are experts at surviving in hostile environments. In symbolic terms, the possum represents a boundary between appearing vulnerable and fiercely protecting one’s space. In "Hiss-Teria," the possum is no longer playing dead—it’s hissing back, embodying defiance and the refusal to shrink for someone else’s comfort.
The phrase “Don’t tell me to smile” has become a powerful feminist rallying cry in response to a long history of male entitlement over women’s appearances. From street harassment to workplace dynamics, many women are conditioned to be agreeable and non-threatening, often at the cost of suppressing their true emotions. Telling women to smile isn't a harmless suggestion—it's a demand to perform emotional labor for others. "Hiss-Teria" confronts this pressure directly, giving visual form to the frustration of being constantly asked to soften, to please, to silence authentic reactions in favor of performative friendliness.
The title itself—Hiss-Teria—plays on the word hysteria, a term historically weaponized to discredit and pathologize women’s emotions. Once considered a diagnosable mental disorder tied to the uterus, “hysteria” became a catch-all for any female expression of rage, grief, passion, or defiance. By merging this term with the hissing possum, "Hiss-Teria" reclaims the insult and turns it into a badge of power: a loud, visible, and justified refusal to be emotionally managed.
Together, these elements create a layered and emotionally charged commentary on gender, autonomy, and b. The possum becomes a stand-in for any woman who has been told to smile when she didn’t feel like it, to perform calmness when she was seething, or to soften herself for someone else's comfort. "Hiss-Teria" is both humorous and fierce—an empowering piece of black and white art that celebrates emotional truth and the courage it takes to bare your teeth when the world demands you stay quiet.
"Taught from their infancy that beauty is woman's sceptre, the mind shapes itself to the body, and roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks to adorn its prison." ― Mary Wollstonecraft
Illustration Size:
5 x 7 inches (portrait)
7 x 5 inches (landscape)
Mat Board Size:
- Original Artwork: Mat board will fit an 11 x 14 inch frame.
- Limited Edition Print: Mat board will fit an 8 x 10 inch frame.
- Both limited edition prints & original artwork are protected by a double layered, high quality, acid-free Crescent® brand mat board (4-ply, approximately .050 inch thick, with a beveled cut window opening). The mat board has a white top layer with a visible black layer underneath. For added protection artwork gets shipped with a standard white backing board, enclosed in a clear protective bag. Frame shown in product images not included.
Medium:
- Original Artwork: Pigment archival ink on cold press acid free 300gsm paper.
- Limited Edition Print: Superior quality digital print on 100% fine art cotton, acid free paper.
Authenticity:
- Original Artwork: Signed, dated & certificate of authenticity included.
- Limited Edition Print: Signed, dated, edition number & certificate of authenticity included.
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