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When enough people adhere to the same standard, that standard transforms into a societal expectation that is mutually and openly agreed upon without the need for law. Men shouldn't show emotion, and women should wear makeup, are two standards that are prevalent enough to be found everywhere.

But each of us is unique. These "expectations" do not accurately describe the majority of people. Therefore, artist Lainey Molnar explores these topics in particular as she creates comics that most people, especially women, can relate to.

With that being said, Lainey's work has been featured on Bored Panda previously, and if you'd like to see the previous parts to this series, then make sure to click here, here, and here.

More info: Instagram

#1

Artist Draws The Pressures Women Struggle With In A Society (28 New Pics)

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This time around, Bored Panda reached out to Lainey with some new questions regarding her upcoming works.

"As of late, I started posting short videos around the topics of being a woman, relationships, little wisdom, and self-healing besides the regular illustrations and I'm enjoying them tremendously. Instagram infamously changed their algorithm to favor videos, slashing so many creators' engagement and forcing them to do videos they're not necessarily comfortable with, but I feel like I can get even deeper this way to support women all over the world."

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    #3

    Artist Draws The Pressures Women Struggle With In A Society (28 New Pics)

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    Isabella
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    PMS is a fact and to be honest, I am much mooore emotional before and while on my period.

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    We also wanted to know if the artist had a comic she was proud of, and we thought it was only fair if she'd share her thoughts with us!

    "My absolute favorite is one of my earliest illustrations that I recently re-drew. I know that so many of us women are criticized or shunned by society by not hitting the "right" milestones, not hitting them at the right time, or having entirely different plans than what is expected. My goal is to lift the weight of societal stigma from every woman's shoulder, because personal life decisions that don't hurt anyone are not right or wrong, they're simply... personal. I am 33, single, I don't plan on having children, and I'm traveling the world instead of settling down. I don't have a college degree, I can't drive a car, I don't own an apartment, and I don't feel like a black sheep, I just feel like myself. As everyone should."

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    #4

    Artist Draws The Pressures Women Struggle With In A Society (28 New Pics)

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    dar Rah
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    As a father, I hate it when people refer to me caring for my daughter as 'babysitting', it's parenting. Honestly though I've never met a father who called it babysitting himself, its mostly other people who do that.

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    #5

    Artist Draws The Pressures Women Struggle With In A Society (28 New Pics)

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    Francis
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    i like how subtle the change in their faces are, yet you see them :) great art style

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    Artists go through a few art phases trying to find the art style they could call their own, and for Lainey, it is likely the same, given that the artist is currently thinking about pursuing her ultimate dream.

    "Before digital art, I used to draw with markers which I really miss, but I don't have time for it anymore, but my ultimate dream is to paint on designer handbags. My background is in fashion and my hobby is refurbishing (vintage) designer accessories in the name of sustainability and value, so creating artworks on pieces I already consider artworks would marry all of my passions and talents."

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    #7

    Artist Draws The Pressures Women Struggle With In A Society (28 New Pics)

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    Kia
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Louder for those in the back! Edit: I really hate how every time Lainey's comics get posted one BP and there is a woman with a hijab on the comments are mostly hate and how she's oppressed. Like you're missing the whole point.

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    Starting out with comics (or art in general) isn't easy, so we asked the artist if she had any tips to share for those who might be starting out.

    "This is an advice to everyone creating any kind of art: Do not put too much weight on how you are doing on social media. Having followers or likes doesn't validate how valuable your art is, it's simply a tool to echo your voice. The art and the message should come from your heart and it should be something you would create the same way just for yourself if you lived in a hut up in the mountains for a year with no internet. I started off creating these comics just for myself, to process my experience as a woman in the world and I didn't intend to have an audience or have it as a full-time job. Until this day I refuse to draw anything that doesn't come from the heart."

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    #8

    Artist Draws The Pressures Women Struggle With In A Society (28 New Pics)

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    dar Rah
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Hm. Growing up, that assigned role of Provider was a heavy burden on me, and it led to me choosing a field of study less aligned to my interests but more profitable. It was a bad choice. Never met somebody who had his heart set that much on the provider role.

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    When it comes to people having overall opinions on her comics, here's what the artist thinks, "My biggest goal is for all women to feel seen, heard, and feel like they are not alone. To give them a new perspective about things the system, the patriarchy, life, and society taught them are the norm. To give them tools to heal themselves from past traumas and stuck patterns. I know this might sound incredibly ambitious, but I'm set on changing the world."

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    Most artists usually create art in order to accomplish something, therefore we were wondering if Lainey perhaps felt the same in some type of way.

    "I truly hope that I can establish a community where like-minded women uplift one another. I am fascinated by how it's happening in the comment section under each one of my posts, they get vulnerable, share their personal stories, like and support one another. I believe there is a huge need for a safe space online for women where there is no judgment and they can share, express, bond, and grow. So I'm planning on building all that in the future - starting with my Instagram page."

    Molnar has been in the comic scene for quite some time now so we were curious whether she had any comments from her followers that might've particularly stood out.

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    "One time I received a message from a follower that she has shown my illustrations to her young brother and they started having discussions about what girls and women are going through. She told me that her brother was only familiar with the male narrative and ended up opening his mind to so much on the 'other' side and even sharing the illustrations with his friends. This is the kind of ripple effect I aim for with everything I do. I just start the conversation, but how it's interpreted or how it unfolds is fascinating."

    #14

    Artist Draws The Pressures Women Struggle With In A Society (28 New Pics)

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    CatsGotFoodYeahYeah
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Lmao as a black woman, I didn't get called beautiful until I made myself look less black. People literally went out of their way to make sure they thought I was ugly and would never date me, despite having no interest them. Just because I was nice to them, they were scared I was interested in them or they'd become bullied for it. Because I'm brown I can make myself 'look' like different POC depending on especially my hair and the way I introduce myself as. Despite having the same features, I'm seen as far more attractive when people think im asian/latina/native American (I'm pretty ambiguous when not wearing black hairstyles because of mixed ancestry). I'm also seen as more intelligent and people approach me less aggressively. I mean, the girl in the pic IS beautiful, but not the best example for this picture, because the racism is just as real as what is being portrayed here: ageism and sexism. Luckily its getting better with more representation!

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    Lastly, we wanted to know what kind of hobbies Lainey has aside from making comics, and here's what she shared with us, "Besides doing art and refurbishing accessories and trying to read all the books in the world while traveling to every corner of the globe, I love to do puzzles. It's becoming a problem because I buy and do them in such a rate that they have taken over my apartment. Maybe I should consider making puzzles with my illustrations, that would be a fitting project!"

    #18

    Artist Draws The Pressures Women Struggle With In A Society (28 New Pics)

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    Firstname Lastname
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I don't care who wears a bikini, as long as it is a well fitting bikini where you aren't sausaging your body into two slivers of fabric that are struggling to uphold your public decency.

    memyselfandI
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    While I totally agree with this, I do think the fashion industry needs to come up with some better clothes that are more flattering to that body type. Because while everyone can wear whatever they want, frankly, some clothes look better on some people than on others. A red dress might clash with red hair, or a shirt that looks good on a larger woman would look like a potato sack on a smaller one. I believe larger women (and men) have a right to well-fitting and flattering clothes for their bodies, which sadly does not include many of the bikinis on the market today. But I have seen a fair number of larger outfits that actually look good on the wearer, that would not look good on a smaller body. Equality isn’t about everyone being able to wear the same thing, it’s about everyone having access to clothes that they want to wear and that they can be confident look as good on them as on the model. That being said, people do have the right to wear whatever they want, and that’s okay. cont.

    memyselfandI
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Fashion companies need to a) make better clothes (just all around, I could go on for days about that), b) show more plus-sized models in flattering outfits, and c) stop just expanding their existing designs for plus size. It doesn’t always work as well as it should. (Sorry for the long essay, I just wanted to make it clear that I’m not judging anyone but the companies, but there are better options available that I think people should take advantage of). (Also I have *opinions* about beauty standards and societal expectations and all that jazz that I’d be happy to explain to whoever has time to kill. If you’re curious, that is.)

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    Marianne
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I love how these panels have so many details, e.g. the c-section scar.

    Rachel Smith
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Anyone can wear a bikini, just wear the right size. If you are size 2x, wear 2x don't be ashamed. Don't try to squeeze into an xl. I myself range in size from xl-3x depending on the clothing manufacturer

    Robin DJW
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My daughter wears her bikinis with confidence and comfort, whether she's skinny or plumpish. I could not do that when I was younger. In fact, I did not wear any kind of swimsuit for 30 years. She's wonderful. I envy her.

    Jaguarundi
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I like that her "bikini cut" scar shows on the woman on the right. Mine is much lower, but I'd rather sport that scar than live through the hell that that scar eliminated! (It's a uterine surgery scar that eliminates various conditions that we can suffer from).

    DramaNerd
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    How to get a bikini body in one simple step: put on a bikini

    FalconCrow12
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm not gonna waste my time telling people who should and shouldn't wear a bikini.

    Weirdest Bi You’ll Ever Meet
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The lady on the right has had a C-section! Props to the people who create the comic thingies (brain fart?) for including different peoples bodies!

    Chel Bolin
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If society doesn't want robust women in bikinis. Than why do designers and store sell them?

    DC
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    ... never got why that's that much of an issue. If you like to, be fat and naked in public ... if I don't think it is beautiful, well, there's other directions to look, or the simple option to not give an f, which we can then both chose rightfully.

    pemdas927
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have said for decades now--you can be big and beautiful. You can be big and sexy. Just know your body style.

    Melinda Farkas
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    Well... There is a reason why you can't walk naked on the street. Let's both ladies put at leas as much fabric on that covers as much as undergarments. And for the sake of it. If it is a public beach then it is other people's concerns as well...

    Galex
    Community Member
    2 years ago

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    Freedom of expression goes both ways.

    Tallywacker Joseph
    Community Member
    2 years ago

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    ...... Just let it allllll hang out. No one cares. Can't iterate that enough. New subject. Maybe one a little less shallow?

    Blah
    Community Member
    2 years ago

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    Obesity is self harm and self harm will never look attractive

    claire greenwood
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yknow there are legitimate medical conditions that cause someone to be obese

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    #19

    Artist Draws The Pressures Women Struggle With In A Society (28 New Pics)

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    Kia
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If you don't want to shave don't. If you do then go for it. Its your body.

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    #21

    Artist Draws The Pressures Women Struggle With In A Society (28 New Pics)

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    Juniper_the_frog_
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yeah, you are still the same person and people don’t get to treat you differently because of how you look

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    #23

    Artist Draws The Pressures Women Struggle With In A Society (28 New Pics)

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    Tiff Jade Thompson
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    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    i need help... this i've been going through all year and still don't know what to do... stay with who I need or go and be with who I want/what I deserve

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