The Scissors Sculpture: Cutting Away the Old Self in Imogen, Obviously

What Is the Scissors Sculpture?

The scissors sculpture is a permanent art installation on the Blackwell College campus. It appears in chapter 11 as the destination of a walk Tessa takes with Imogen after breakfast. The sculpture is large enough to pose beside for photos—Imogen later describes their pictures as “scissor photos” and jokes about “impending decapitation.” The literal object is a pair of oversized metal scissors, possibly embedded in the ground or mounted on a base. It serves as a recognizable campus landmark, the kind students use for meetups and social media posts.

Where the Sculpture Recurs

The sculpture itself appears only once as a physical setting, in chapter 11. Immediately afterward, its name becomes a recurring verbal joke. In chapter 12, Lili asks Imogen, “How was the scissor?”—a phrase Imogen misinterprets as a coded reference to scissoring, the sexual act. This misunderstanding reveals Imogen’s anxiety about her lack of queer knowledge and her performance of a bisexual identity she does not fully own.

The scissors sculpture also persists through Imogen’s Instagram post. She captions the photo with a scissor emoji, a detail that later haunts her when she worries that posting it signals a sexuality she has not honestly claimed. In this way, the sculpture transcends its physical form and becomes a digital symbol—one that ties Imogen’s public persona to her private confusion.

How the Symbol’s Meaning Shifts

Initially, the scissors sculpture represents a carefree college moment: sunshine, easy smiles, and a new friendship. Tessa and Imogen take “the cutest” photos, and Imogen feels “nothing but easy smiles and sunlit faces.” The sculpture seems like a harmless backdrop for bonding.

But almost immediately, the meaning sharpens. When Lili says “the scissor,” Imogen’s face floods with heat. She realizes that the word carries a sexual connotation she did not intend. Her panic at being seen as sexually performative underscores her core conflict: she is pretending to be a bisexual woman when she does not yet know if that label fits. The scissors become a symbol of the gap between her performed identity and her real self.

Later, in chapter 59, Imogen reflects on her own history of attraction and questions whether she was “allowed” to have crushes on women. Though the sculpture is not mentioned explicitly, the act of “cutting ties” with her old identity echoes the sharp, decisive motion of scissors. The sculpture begins to represent the painful but necessary severance from the “straight ally” role she has clung to.

Character and Theme Connections

The scissors sculpture is most closely connected to Imogen Scott and Tessa Minsky. For Imogen, the sculpture represents her internal struggle with authenticity versus performance. She poses for a photo that suggests a queerness she is not ready to claim, and later feels guilt about “queerbaiting.” The sculpture’s cutting edge mirrors the sharpness of self-discovery: one must cut away old labels to find the truth.

Tessa, by contrast, is comfortable in her identity. She takes Imogen to the sculpture as a friendly gesture, unaware of the weight it will carry. Tessa’s easy queerness—her mention of coming out and her trip to “Big Gay Ice Cream”—highlights Imogen’s insecurity. The sculpture thus becomes a site where compulsory heterosexuality is challenged: Imogen must decide whether she is performing for others or listening to herself.

The sculpture also connects to Edith Scott, Imogen’s sister, who “announced on the first day of preschool that she was going to marry a girl.” Edith’s natural, unconflicted queerness contrasts with Imogen’s tangled journey. Imogen thinks of Edith while standing at the sculpture, wishing she had that same clarity.

Gretchen, Imogen’s friend who polices allyship, represents the voice of doubt. In chapter 40, Gretchen’s question “Do you want to fuck her? No? Then you’re safe” echoes Imogen’s fear that she does not meet some external standard of queerness. The scissors sculpture, as a symbol of cutting away, becomes the tool Imogen might use to sever herself from Gretchen’s expectations.

The theme of friendship and belonging also appears. The sculpture is part of a shared experience with Tessa and later the group’s inside joke about “the scissor.” Yet Imogen feels excluded by that joke, highlighting her struggle to belong in a queer community she fears she has no right to enter.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Imogen feel embarrassed when Lili asks, “How was the scissor?”

Imogen immediately thinks of the sexual act “scissoring” and assumes Lili is teasing her about posting a photo with that subtext. Her embarrassment stems from her insecurity about performing bisexuality—she worries that any sexual reference will expose her as a fraud. The question makes her hyperaware of the gap between her public image and her actual experience.

2. How does the scissors sculpture relate to Imogen’s journey of self-discovery?

The sculpture represents the need to cut away old identities. At the start, Imogen identifies as a straight ally; by the end, she realizes she is bisexual. The “sharp” edges of the scissors mirror the discomfort of self-realization. The photo she posts marks a public step toward claiming a queer identity, even before she fully understands it. Later, in chapter 59, she metaphorically cuts herself free from the question “Who gets to decide what counts as queer?”

3. In what way does Tessa’s behavior at the sculpture contrast with Imogen’s?

Tessa is relaxed and playful—she takes photos, jokes about decapitation, and checks Imogen’s pulse. She does not attach any anxiety to the moment. Imogen, meanwhile, is internally analyzing every detail: her guilt about lying, her longing for Tessa, her fear of being caught. The contrast highlights Tessa’s authenticity and Imogen’s performance.

4. How does the sculpture serve as a symbol of queer community and allyship?

The sculpture is a campus landmark where queer students gather and take photos, much like a “gay landmark.” Tessa uses it to welcome Imogen into the group. However, the inside joke about “the scissor” shows that community language can be exclusionary. Imogen must learn that belonging is not just about being present—it requires understanding the codes and being honest about who you are. The sculpture becomes a test of whether Imogen can truly enter the community as herself, not as an ally.