Single womanhood gets a bad rap in the public’s imagination. Whereas single men get to be eligible bachelors, single women of a certain age are often depicted as sad, lonely cat-obsessed spinsters.
That’s why Mexican artist Idalia Candelas’ black-and-white illustrations of the single woman life are so refreshing – a rebuttal to the “Cathy” comic strip-type stories we’re often told, and a reminder that being alone isn’t always a sad or bad thing.
“The theme of the loneliness has been recurring in my drawings,” Candelas told Mic. “Even though people try to avoid [it] [out of] fear, being in that situation is increasingly common in our society.”
And she doesn’t think being alone is anything to get worked up about, so she draws women who are doing whatever they damn please when they are alone – not ones who are “depressed or crying.” Rather, they are [they] are “safe, exalting in the sense of enjoying the company of just herself,” according to the artist.
Check out eight of Candelas’ illustrations below:
Update, August 24 at 5:30 p.m.: Candelas started an Etsy shop to sell some of her Alone illustrations. Cop them here.