Dark Side Of Coercive Control

It doesn’t always look like abuse.
Sometimes it looks like control that’s been normalised. This piece reflects coercive control in a way that is often overlooked, especially when it happens to men. It’s hidden in behaviours and expectations that are dismissed, justified, or even encouraged by social norms.
“I have to ask the Mrs” isn’t always a joke.
Not when it means needing permission to exist freely. Not when it comes with consequences if the answer is no. The figure is bound, not just by chains, but by restriction. The loss of autonomy shows up in quiet ways, being isolated from friends, no nights out, no independence. Being told what you can wear because it doesn’t fit someone else’s image. Being controlled financially, where what you earn is no longer fully yours to decide. The presence behind the figure represents that control. Not always loud, not always violent, but constant. It grips tightly, shaping behaviour, limiting choice, and slowly eroding identity. What makes this form of control difficult to recognise is how easily it is accepted. When isolation is framed as loyalty.
When control is framed as care.
When restriction is framed as respect.
It becomes something people are expected to tolerate rather than question. This piece is not about exaggeration. It is about visibility.
About recognising that coercive control can exist in any relationship, and that it is no less real when it is directed at men. That losing your independence, your voice, or your freedom is not something to laugh off or normalise.
At its core, this artwork is about autonomy.
Because no one should have to ask for permission to be themselves.