She Sits Like a Man — Framed Artwork, 50 × 70 cm

This illustration is a silent but powerful gesture about identity, tradition and personal freedom. It draws from Vietnamese culture and personal experience and raises questions about the ingrained expectations that are passed down to women from an early age – how they should sit, speak and behave.

The figure of a woman in a traditional áo yếm refers to the delicacy and aesthetics of Vietnamese ceramics. Calm and composed, she sits in a posture that seems “inappropriate” only because we have been taught to do so. She holds a pipe in her hands – a symbol that has historically been associated more with men and authority.

The work does not undermine femininity, but rewrites its meaning.

Here, delicacy is not weakness, but strength.

Calmness is not submission, but a conscious attitude.

The illustration invites the viewer to ask:

Which rules are truly ours – and which have we merely adopted?