Chloe Franchi

Softer Spoken

“Softer Spoken” lingers in the tension between tenderness and control, tracing cultural associations with femininity through gesture and form. A braid moves with deliberate weight acting as an emblem of care and discipline, where innocence feels practiced rather than innate. An exposed ear, turned away from the viewer, belongs to an unidentified figure that resists full presence. Without a face or gaze, the body becomes positioned to listen rather than speak and held in a state of quiet observance. Within the braid, rabbits emerge and settle, finding comfort in the unraveling of what has once been kept neat. They often find comfort in ripping their own hair out for others!

““Softer Spoken” reflects on how femininity is maintained through acts of care that can also become acts of containment, asking what quietly takes root beneath surfaces meant to appear gentle and composed.”