Norfolk artist becomes full-time professional after artwork goes viral on social media
Charlotte Miller, whose artwork challenging the phenomenon of manspreading went viral on social media has quit her jobs in hospitality and childcare to become a full-time artist
A painter whose artwork challenging the phenomenon of manspreading went viral on social media has quit her jobs in hospitality and childcare to become a full-time artist.
24-year-old Charlotte Miller, of Diss, Norfolk, was asked by tutors at her former college if she would like to take part in an exhibition they were organising at the National Trust’s Ickworth House in Suffolk.
She photographed her painting – depicting a woman on public transport with her legs wide apart, encroaching on the space of men either side – and it got millions of views across social media. Miller said the work, called Claiming, was “calling out everyday behaviours of men against women”.
“I wanted to put forward a subverted, female-centred depiction of the phenomenon known as ‘manspreading’ – a term coined to describe men who spread their legs widely on public transport and encroach on the personal space of others,” she said.
“With the brief from National Trust, there was a bit where it said about pushing back, but without using violence. “I thought of literally pushing back, and then I thought of manspreading.”
She said: “I go to London quite a lot and sit on the Tube and just watch it. “If I wanted to make myself comfortable like that, it would look like a really big statement.
“I just thought if it’s flipped, it will just show that is what they do. “If I do it, it’s not OK.”
She said that she took photos and videos of her painting on the day of the exhibition in April, then posted them online the following day.
“I then went to work, so I wasn’t really on my phone,” she said. “I came home and it had gotten very popular very quickly. “And then on the Monday, it had really blown up.
“My posts quickly amassed over 16 million views on various social media channels.”
She said she began to receive requests for prints of the piece from all over the world, and has decided to quit her jobs in hospitality and childcare to continue creating and selling art.
Miller, who secured an art practice degree at University Studies at West Suffolk College in 2023, said she studied a module called commercial creation which was “all about selling your art” and had drawn on this knowledge.
Glenn Pickering, course leader of art practice at the college, said: “I’m so proud of all our students who took part in the exhibition at Ickworth.
“Charlotte’s story demonstrates how the knowledge and skills our students leave with, can help them to make art with serious impact.”
Miller’s painting will be on display at Ickworth until the end of July.