Indopedia All Things Marijuana
In the final part of our feature on the Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum exhibition We Are Mary Jane: Women of Cannabis, enjoy these short interviews with four women who attended the opening, three of whom are featured in the exhibition.
In any endeavour where the focus is women, it is obviously vital to listen to, and amplify the voices of, the women themselves. Without the direct input of women, anything focussing on them becomes by default an extension of the male gaze. Internalised sexism and patriarchal assumptions mean that even with the direct input of women, care must be taken when portraying them in a public display such as this one.
Exhibition curator Simone Badoux mentions in the first part of this feature that finding just one woman to represent all Women of Cannabis for the exhibition graphics was impossible, which is why the plant itself was chosen instead. Indeed, it is far more inclusive to show no visual definition of womanhood at all than to show one which intrinsically excludes others.
For those who would try to argue that it is not necessary to illuminate and celebrate the role of women in cannabis separately to that…
