Another Feather in Her Cap

I love idioms. It's funny to me how each language cultivates their own unique turns of phrase and how the meanings can change over time. The history of the phrase, "another feather in your cap," begins in the 17th century with a negative connotation; a feather in your cap was seen a sign of foolishness. By the 18th century (possibly due to the more widespread use of plumage on one's garb) this has turned into a positive phrase of praise. I incorporate both meanings of this idiom into my collection of little paintings. Each of these women is adding yet another achievement to their long lists of accolades. Is it vain? I suppose it can be. It doesn't have to be, though. We each in our own way improve and develop and grow and add, as it were, feathers to our caps.

Each little painting's design is based on a different shape: triangle, oval, and rectangle, suggesting that each person's accomplishments are unique to them. The new feathers do not match the preexisting array of feathers. This says two things. Firstly it highlights the celebration we feel over each new achievement. Secondly it describes how foreign a new victory can feel. I myself have a sort of love/hate relationship with praise and success. Naturally I work for and crave it, but I also feel a strange sense of alienation from the thing once it is achieved. Will each woman's feather eventually blend in with the others, or will it become a crowning centerpiece of her work? Will she accept this new addition, or will she cast it away?