A performance to flip an old tradition on its head… red ribbon tied around a bride’s waist, a quiet gesture of oppression, control, shame, and expectations placed on women in Turkish society.
Red Ribbons stands as a poignant critique of the gender inequality and oppressive control exerted on the female body within the patriarchal framework of Turkish society. The performance dismantles and challenges the deeply ingrained customs and beliefs surrounding women’s roles.
In Red Ribbons, we witness what it feels like to be a woman growing up under strict traditions in Turkey. It begins with a symbol—a red ribbon tied around a bride’s waist, meant to show she is a virgin. It’s a quiet gesture, but it speaks volumes about control, shame, and expectations placed on women.
Ayebe flips this tradition on its head. Instead of wearing the red ribbon proudly, she enters blindfolded with a black ribbon, showing how these customs push woman blindly follow a path away from choice, freedom and limit what they’re allowed to see, do, or become.
She carries the red ribbons herself to the performance site, like a burden she’s always had to carry. Men from the audience are asked to tie them around her waist—one by one—and then, in a striking act, they drag her body through the city streets. It’s disturbing, but it’s real. It shows how heavy these traditions can be, how much they weigh down women in both body and spirit.
Through this performance, Red Ribbons doesn’t just ask the audience to watch—it asks them to feel. It’s a call for freedom, dignity, and a different kind of future woman in patriachal cultures.
Burçin Ayebe 