How Do You Like Your Eggs?

By Rex Rafanelli

If you already know Banksy you are probably already picturing some kind of cleverly stenciled graffiti on a cement wall or maybe have even seen one of his public sculptures- a crippled over phone booth with a bloody pickaxe protruding from its midsection. If you haven’t heard of him, he is a British artist who creates graffiti pieces focusing mainly on political and social commentary. And nowhere is Banksy’s uniquely dark sense of humor more evident than in his painting “How do you like your eggs?” It strays from his usual medium: spray paint on public walls. This realistic portrait, painted with acrylic on canvas, is arguably one of his most controversial statements.

In “How do you like your eggs?” a Middle Eastern woman is dressed in her customary burqa, as well as the traditional face covering called a hijab. Atop her outfit she garnishes an apron, imprinted with an image of a white woman’s body wearing nothing but lingerie. And if you thought that this wasn’t enough, or were still curious how the piece got its title, she is holding a spatula in one hand, and a frying pan in the other, cooking two sunny side up eggs. Banksy’s ironic humor is obvious in his naming of the satirical piece “How would you like your eggs?”. With an understanding of its humor one might go deeper in search of the pieces meaning.

This isn’t easy, as it seems that Banksy’s work comments on race, culture, and gender roles. The Muslim woman is modestly robed, while the white woman on the apron is scantily dressed. We might attribute the lingerie to Western culture. This definitely brings up ideas that this piece is a clash of societies, pitting Muslim standards against western society. Is perhaps Banksy, growing up in Britain’s Western and more liberal society is trying to make a statement regarding the oppression of Muslim women, that they should be able to dress however they please, hence the lingerie apron. But Banksy is far too counter culture to agree with anything mainstream. Maybe this is outside of the box? From a Muslim woman’s perspective, perhaps the apron is the expression of her sexuality; she is saying she is a woman. And whether or not she hides it, like man, she is a sexual creature. It’s every woman’s choice how to convey that sexuality. I believe these are all valid points, and that Banksy understands the sensitive issues regarding conflict of Western and Middle Eastern cultures.

What if the subject of his painting is not contrasting their differences but their similarities? Eggs are a common breakfast food in both cultures, where might they fit in; it is the title of the piece after all. Perhaps Banksy is thinking on a larger scale? Maybe the subject of this piece is the worldwide oppression of women? This painting is displaying his thesis plainly; he has gone to the lengths of contrasting its evidence, things that are part of the daily lives of all women. The oppression of women reaches to the extremes of all cultures, from Muslim women who may be required to dress fully covered, all the way to the Western society that puts too much emphasis on the physical appearance of a woman.

Banksy encourages the viewer to see Muslim women as independent and powerful, not as oppressed. Looking closely, her poise is not submissive. And when observing the only visible part of her body, her eyes, it appears she may even be dawning an arrogant smirk. It almost looks as if she’s saying, “You think I’m oppressed? Take a look in the mirror.” Perhaps in a way Banksy is cleverly mocking Western society for being so quick to judge and impose its ideals upon the Muslim society.

I believe the strongest evidence that Banksy wants us to question society’s gender roles is the title, “How do you like your eggs?” It is posed as a question, from the woman to the audience. Neither Banksy nor the Muslim woman think it is a woman’s job to serve a man. Among his gender related artwork would be graffiti of two gay British police officers kissing, along with a lesbian version of Queen Victoria. It’s safe to say that questioning gender roles is a familiar subject for Banksy.

Lastly, it is obvious the eggs represent woman’s sexuality. If female sexuality is completely dependent on the fact that the female contains the eggs, then maybe, just maybe Banksy is using the terms interchangeably. The title then becomes “How do you like your women?” or “How do you want women to behave?” This question is obviously being asked to the males, and the answer is dependent on the ideas of traditionally male ruled societies. Banksy’s most controversial statement made by this painting is not that men have always been the dominant sex with women being customarily obedient and submissive. The true meaning lies in the subtleties, as Banksy’s painting shows, the look in her eye tells us she may know times are changing.