Faculty Mentor
Sheila Goloborotko, MFA
Faculty Mentor Department
Art, Art History and Design
Abstract
This print series grew out of my frustration with having to push through intense period cramps while in class. It was often difficult to focus on my work while feeling as though my body was being torn open from the inside. Each month, I find myself questioning: Why am I expected to work like this? Menstruation is often accompanied by painful bloating and sharp, internal cramps, and I carry these sensations with me as I attend school, go to work, and move through daily life. In this series of prints, I use the pufferfish as a metaphor for this experience. When threatened, the pufferfish inflates and reveals sharp spines, inflicting pain while simultaneously protecting itself. This image mirrors the physical discomfort and emotional tension of menstruation; despite the pain pressing inward, we are expected to remain calm, composed, presentable, and productive. While this experience can be isolating and exhausting, it is also marked by moments of care and solidarity. I have shared medication and menstrual products with peers, covered for others when their pain made attendance impossible, and received unexpected support from strangers. These acts of mutual care remind me that periods are not just a private struggle, but a shared experience, and community is essential to endurance and healing.
Recommended Citation
Turner, Zoe
(2026)
"Pufferfish,"
PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas: Vol. 7:
No.
1, Article 8.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/pandion_unf/vol7/iss1/8
Included in
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