My series titled “Being Human” was inspired by Mickalene Thomas and Cindy Sherman. These two artists tend to portray the reality of being a woman from a woman's point of view rather than a man’s. They also show a variety of societal issues through their work. In my series, I wanted to show a woman in her natural state completely disregarding gender norms and challenging the patriarchy. I wanted to show what women see rather than what men want to see from a woman.
In the first picture, I am showing a woman laying down, relaxing instead of doing what a woman should do according to the gender roles, which in this case would be making the bed, cleaning, or fixing herself up for the approval of a man. In the second picture of the series, I am showing a woman in her natural human state. All humans grow body hair but it is not acceptable for a woman to do so according to society. I am challenging that specific gender norm as well as the male gaze by portraying a woman in her natural state rather than sexualizing and objectifying her. In my third picture, I am sitting more masculine, challenging the idea that all women need to sit with their legs crossed at all times. In my last picture, I am showing a woman looking at herself in her natural state and loving all the features that make her human instead of looking at a mirror to change herself for society’s approval.
Understanding Patriarchy
By: Bell Hooks
“Of these systems the one that we all learn the most about growing up is the system of patriarchy, even if we never know the word, because patriarchal gender roles are assigned to us as children and we are given continual guidance about the ways we can best fulfill these roles.”
Not many people know about the word patriarchy, what it means, and how much it controls our lives. Because patriarchal gender roles are assigned to us as children, we grow up with a set mentality which sometimes can be hard to change and unlearn. As young adults, we need to find ways to challenge it, expose it and show people how much it has affected us as humans. Through artwork and photography, one can show a visual representation of what is the patriarchy and its effects.
Ways Of Seeing
By: John Berger
“(Here and in the European tradition generally, the convention of not painting the hair on a woman's body helps towards the same end. Hair is associated with sexual power, with passion. The woman's sexual passion needs to be minimized so that the spectator may feel that he has the monopoly of such passion.) Women are there to feed an appetite, not to have any of their own.”
Women have been fighting for their equal rights and that includes normalizing body hair on women as much as on men. I believe body hair makes certain men feel that they have less control over women and it challenges their masculinity. By woman showing their body hair, it shows that they are in control of their own body, their own skin and they are the ones who choose what people can see. The last sentence of this quote really shows why people, specifically men, tend to look at a woman who expresses their sexual desires negatively. They have the mentality of; women are there to serve but not to receive. By women growing body hair and loving their body at its natural state, they are making a statement and showing the world that they are human and in control, and just like men have sexual desires women do too.
Female Gaze: Art That Looks At What Women See
By: Nina Siegal
“In the span of 150 years, the period that "Close-Up" covers, women in general and female artists in particular were able to expand their sphere of influence beyond the home and into the larger society. The shift was mirrored in an evolution in portraiture from domestic, intimate subject matter to images that reflected societal issues more broadly.”
This quote represents what I was trying to achieve with my series, which is to reflect on some societal issues through these photographs. As women grow in the industry, the more they bring awareness to issues that no one really wants to talk about.
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