I Feel Bad Whoring Myself Out

No, really. Click image to order prints.

When I first became a mother, I noticed my internal I Feel Bad meter skyrocket. I felt bad about what I fed my kids. I felt bad about what I didn’t feed my kids. I felt bad about working too much. I felt bad about not working enough. I felt bad when I let the kids watch T.V. I felt bad when I stopped them watching T.V.

Feeling bad wasn’t new to me, after all, I’m Middle Eastern and have a vagina.

In an effort to manage the all-consuming guilt, I began a series of drawings called I Feel Bad.

They were exhibited at a gallery show and became a book of the same name, which eventually became an N.B.C. comedy. It wasn’t funny. I feel bad saying that. I could barely get through the first episode. I feel bad. I didn’t let my kids watch it. I feel bad about that too.

I made over a hundred drawings and that was just a start.

Surprisingly, exorcising the Feel Bad demons did not miraculously leave me eternally immune to feeling bad.

Today alone, I feel bad for several reasons:

I feel bad that you have to read this.

I feel bad wasting your time with it.

I feel bad clogging up your email inbox.

I feel bad thinking it might go unread.

I feel bad that if you don’t like my work, I’m going to wish horrible things upon you – really horrible, violent things.

I feel bad that you’ll feel bad, if you don’t upgrade to a paid subscription.

I feel bad that I’m using this platform to whore myself out by selling my prints for the very first time.

I feel bad that I judge others who whore themselves out.

If you spend money on my prints, I’ll feel bad.

If you don’t, I’ll feel bad.

The point, in case you missed it: you can order an I Feel Bad print by clicking here. Brand New! Buy! Buy! Buy! Zero percent off. Run! Don’t walk! Get yer prints. Cheap! Cheap! While supplies last and all that crap.

I will now take a shower but before I do…

Listen to an interview I did on WAMC about I Feel Bad.

Order the book.