# The Apology of Anger | Miss Me | TEDxLausanneWomen Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GDbMG_i9l4 Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/0GDbMG_i9l4 Generated: 2026-01-22T18:34:05.845+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Artist Miss Me advocates for reclaiming female anger and self-perception by subverting classical art and societal norms, using her masked persona to critique patriarchal systems that frame female desire and anger as inherently vain or taboo, ultimately asserting that acknowledging anger is a biochemical act of self-preservation and empowerment. **Key Points:** - Miss Me reclaims female anger by subverting classical imagery, such as Diego Velázquez's 'Venus at her Mirror,' by replacing the subject with her masked persona to challenge historical objectification. - The speaker argues that society frames female desire and anger as taboo or vain, citing the example that when a woman looks at her naked body, she is judged as vain, whereas a man painting the same subject is considered a master. - Miss Me's art, including her 'Vandale' series, aims to take physical space publicly and reclaim ownership of female bodies and experiences, countering the societal impulse to police female behavior. - Anger is defined scientifically as an adaptive emotional and physiological response to perceived injustice or threat, mobilizing energy to restore control, safety, and dignity. - The artist highlights the hypocrisy where male expressions of anger are accepted, but female anger is pathologized as hysteria or madness, leading women to internalize shame. - Her goal is to encourage women to feel anger publicly and unapologetically, viewing it as a biological, self-preserving function rather than a flaw or something to be hidden. - The talk concludes with Miss Me's personal commitment to creating art featuring her masked figures everywhere, reclaiming subjecthood for women. ![Screenshot at 00:06: Miss Me appears on stage wearing her signature black balaclava with large Mickey Mouse-like ears, introducing her talk about anger and subverting norms.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/0GDbMG_i9l4/00-00-06.jpg) **Context:** The presentation, given by the visual artist known as Miss Me at TEDxLausanneWomen, centers on the concept of 'The Apology of Anger' ('L'Apologie de la Colère'). Miss Me uses her characteristic persona—a masked figure with large, cartoonish ears—to confront societal double standards regarding female expression, particularly the policing of women's bodies, desire, and anger, often referencing classical art and contemporary censorship practices. ## Detailed Analysis Artist Miss Me delivers a powerful critique of societal norms that police female desire and anger, demanding an end to the shame associated with these natural responses. She begins by juxtaposing Diego Velázquez's painting, 'Venus at her Mirror' (00:13), with her masked self, questioning why a nude woman looking at her reflection is deemed vain, while a male artist painting her is celebrated. Miss Me explains that her art involves taking her masked, naked self and placing it in public spaces to reclaim ownership and subjecthood over female bodies and experiences. She contrasts this with the historical and contemporary tendency to frame female anger as inherently messy, emotional, or taboo, while male anger is often accepted or even seen as protective. She cites the scientific definition of anger as an adaptive biochemical act of self-preservation aimed at restoring control, safety, and dignity. Miss Me reveals that after posting her subversive art online, she received backlash and her Instagram account was suspended for violating community standards, highlighting the institutional control over female expression. She concludes by asserting that anger does not have to be violent or messy; it can be a tool for liberation and self-possession, urging women to own their anger publicly and refuse to live in a 'self-guided jail' dictated by external judgment. ### Challenging Artistic Norms - Miss Me contrasts Velázquez's 'Venus at her Mirror' with her own masked self-portraits, criticizing the historical framing of the female nude as an object for the male gaze (00:11-00:26) - She shows her own art where masked figures take up public space, asserting female subjecthood (00:56). ### The Double Standard of Anger - Society frames female anger as taboo, vain, or hysterical, while male anger is often normalized or seen as protective (01:04-01:42) - Anger is biologically adaptive, focused on restoring control, safety, and dignity (06:25). ### Personal Confrontation and Censorship - The artist recounts having her work removed from Instagram in 2015 for being 'too racy' and receiving hate mail, demonstrating censorship against female self-expression (04:43-05:01) - She asserts that her anger is a necessary declaration against this policing (05:36). ### Reclaiming Subjectivity - Miss Me argues that women are taught to be desirable objects, not powerful subjects (08:34-09:25) - She uses her art to reclaim female bodily autonomy and refuse the societal cage (09:47-10:01). ### Conclusion and Call to Action - Anger, when acknowledged, is liberating, not violent, and must be felt publicly by women to break the silence and shame imposed by patriarchal control (11:58-12:31). ![Screenshot at 00:06: Miss Me appears on stage wearing her signature black balaclava with large Mickey Mouse-like ears, introducing her talk about anger and subverting norms.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/0GDbMG_i9l4/00-00-06.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:13: The screen displays Diego Velázquez's 'Venus at her Mirror,' which Miss Me uses as a point of comparison to discuss historical objectification of the female body.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/0GDbMG_i9l4/00-00-13.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:56: A collage of Miss Me's artwork is shown, featuring masked figures in various assertive poses, contrasting with historical art.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/0GDbMG_i9l4/00-00-56.jpg) ![Screenshot at 01:14: The presentation screen displays a quote in English defining anger as an adaptive emotional and physiological response to perceived injustice.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/0GDbMG_i9l4/00-01-14.jpg) ![Screenshot at 10:09: A slide shows four images of masked figures in powerful, non-sexualized poses, representing Miss Me's artistic response to societal constraints.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/0GDbMG_i9l4/00-10-09.jpg)