The title itself, "Bound by Feathers," is an intentional paradox. It pairs the tight social restrictions at the turn of the century with the uninhibited and loose structure of feathers. The paradox here is that feathers are incapable of binding anything, but the invisible social restraints are impossible to loosen. The feathers that bind these women, in this sense, are the social norms and expectations they find difficult to escape. This imposition left many of them unfulfilled and wanting. By the very nature of feathers, all it would take is a powerful gust of wind such as a revolution, to forever disrupt and replace them with more favorable ones.

This work was inspired by a tapestry of stories as told through the real experiences of the women who have passed through my life -- impacting it both in small and profound ways. It is with respect and gratitude that I expand on those fascinating stories.

As women, we spend an enormous amount of time and energy attempting to mold models for ourselves that are foreign to the ones our mothers provided. We try in vain to be unique, distinct, and different from our mothers; only to see them reflecting at us from the mirror more quickly than we expected.

As birds of a similar feather migrate together each year, so do we, women of the same feather. We nest together feeding our young, proliferating our stories by sharing things in common that eras and timelines cannot deny us. We are all benefactors of our immigrant parents and their parents before them. Inheritance knows no limitations when it comes to the land of milk and honey; if not for our narrow-mindedness and stubbornness to let go of what does not matter.

It is my hope that women from all walks of life will read its pages, insert themselves between the lines, and be encouraged to reach toward a life fully realized; not because of the words, but because of the women whose lives inspired them. Women will be free to fly and no longer be "Bound by Feathers."