Vicky Hodgson

The starting point for this self-portrait is a large sepia-toned photograph, presented in an ornate frame that hung on the wall of my grandparents' living room when I was a child. Taken at the professional photographic studio of Foley and Scott in Wigan, this highly constructed image shows me dressed in my best-smocked frock and posed sitting on a table against a cloud background. A carefully placed teddy can be seen in the crook of my arm, adding to the look of a 'nice little girl'. But this teddy is not just a prop, it's a disruptor, a symbol of the power to challenge stereotypes and break free from societal norms.