JS - PP - Part 2

JADE SMITH 7179 PERSONAL INVESTIGATION

PART TWO

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Photography Essay Jade Smith Can photographers capture feminism through femininity?

What is feminism? What is femininity? these are two questions which are asked frequently in today’s society and are portrayed through photography in different ways. Many tend to mutually group the two as one key term however when thought about, are two contrasting elements. to me, femininity is the more stereotypical expectation put on women, it’s the more “feminine” side to women, where there is little room for flaws whereas feminism is the power and strength women have, it’s the sense of pride women have and the fight for equality between the two genders. why can’t women do what men do? If you look at the dictionary, the definition for feminism is... whereas for femininity it is... this will help me form my research on my next photographers and my belief is femininity and feminism don’t have to be mutually exclusive. you can be a feminist and still believe in femininity.

The image to the left taken by the contemporary photographer Olivia Bee, (title unknown), Bee is 18 years old and has been taking and publishing photographs on social media since she was 11. Kathy Sweeney of The Guardian observed that "Bee finds a dreamlike, innocent colour in her friends' – Bee explains ‘I want to evoke

nostalgia in everyone, and to take photos you can relate to’. I feel Bee’s work can be interpreted different ways

depending on who the viewer of the image is. From taking a first look at the image I can see a dominant feminine feeling to the image, the female captured in the photograph is shown with her cleavage on show which gives a sense of pride, power, confidence and strength to the female gender. From society’s social attitudes towards women in previous years, they have been expected to conceal themselves in terms of their figures from others in society and wear more conservative clothing; this image contrasts with this view and shows a rebellious side to women and also suggests that this image is more recent.

There is a narrative pragmatically suggested from behind this image which is given from the love bites or bruises on the woman’s neck. They could imply that the woman is in love and the image has been taken from the view point of her lover; it also suggests a passionate relationship however if they were bruises then it could connote to a dangerous, passionate yet aggressive relationship which falls back on the woman. It places her in the position of a victim and allows the viewer to feel sympathetic towards to woman and question how she managed to get them.

The pink jacket that the female is wearing connotes to this angelic, pure and feminine look on women which is very stereotypical and patriarchal however is contrasted by what is actually happening within the image, the context is much more provocative and sexual.

Some could see the image in a negative view point and rather than seeing a suggestion of stereotypical femininity, it could show signs of weakness and hint at the woman being a possible prostitute. This therefore is a different kind of femininity; it is something we don’t tend to see in images which I like as it is more emotional to look at due to such a powerful narrative being suggested.

The image has been taken straight on, causing the woman’s cleavage to be the central focus of the image which not only sexualises the woman, it places the viewer in the eyes of a

Photography Essay Jade Smith stereotypical, heterosexual male through the use of the rule of thirds. The image is a close up, there is no background features which therefore allows the female to take up the entire image, there is nowhere else for the viewers to look, we are drawn to look at the details like the bruises/love bites.

The lighting of the image tells a lot about what the photographer wants us to see and think.

The image is captured in quite a dark, low in saturation lighting with pink, blue and grey tints which gives this sinister, grunge feel to the image. The skin tone of the woman captured in the photograph is quite fare and pale which allows the cleavage to stand out more and dominate the rest of the image.

Photograph that is taken for the female gaze rather than the male gaze not traditional feminine Aesthetic, sexual empowerment through a female’s viewpoint rather a male dictating the photograph. The image has a feel of a real woman rather than a carefully selected model; it is more relaxed and real. The omission of the woman’s face adds mystery to the image and allows the audience to question the identity of the woman used and almost suggests that her identity shouldn’t be shown due to the image having a sinister, provocative feel to it. The necklace that the woman is wearing appears to spell out ‘Chanel’ so there is a juxtaposition between the expensive necklace and the rawer/grunge felling of the photograph. I feel this photograph depicts the stereotypical ideologies given on feminism and femininity through the connotations given from the fact that the model’s breasts are on shown which sexualises her and places her in a vulnerable position however there is a juxtaposition created through the fact that the model has chosen to be captured with this appearance which therefore gives a feminist approach to the photograph.

Ellen Von Unwerth’s photography is more about capturing and empowering the power of the female sexuality rather than sexualising them from a heterosexual male gaze point of view. Her work pushes the boundaries when empowering women and the female sexuality in a way that it is challenging and provocative. She has managed to capture some iconic images throughout her work and there is a sense of fun to her photographs. “I don’t necessarily think of my work as erotic,” Unwerth has told Business of Fashion. “People say that, but I just like to shoot girls having fun, girls who want to be beautiful and sexy… I consider myself a feminist; I was always a strong woman, always standing up for women’s rights. I like women who look like they have their life under control.”

“Sexual empowerment is one of the most fundamental ways to break free from the confines of the patriarchy because it represents a deconstruction of what used to be considered the Ideal Woman; what she looks like and how she behaves. In the past, a huge part of the power that men had over women was related to the freedom they had in dictating rules around her sexual behaviour and claiming the right to condemn women who broke those rules: this is what slut-shaming is. By claiming the right to choose when they want to be sexualised, and by whom, by dictating for themselves when they should and shouldn’t be having sex, and by asserting their right to sexual pleasure, sexually empowered

Photography Essay Jade Smith role models dismantle this formerly very effective method of patriarchal control and oppression of women.” Elise Stone The two images from Unwerth’s work shows a more powerful and dominant side to the female sexuality.

There is a sense of fun but also independence and dominance. Rather than being sexualised and captured through the male gaze, these images reverse stereotypical gender roles and place the female as the dominant out of the two genders. Looking at the technical aspects of these two photographs , the use of black and white, high contrast images puts an emphasis on the females figure and also strips away any feminine features to these photographs due to the lack of colour. The monochrome colours are bold and create a statement which is the aim of Unwerth’s work. The body language of the two models are quite dominant, they are the foreground of the image and in focus where as the two males are almost part of the scenery and are less important. The placement of the women's legs give fairly open and sexual connotations however, in the same light as Olivia Bee’s work, the models are captured in a dominant perspective and have power over the image. This contrasts with the work of Olivia Bee’s though she still captures a raw, true side to women through her work using film, there is still a sense of the woman captured being looked at through the eyes of a heterosexual male and seen as a young teen girl rather than a strong woman which is seen more in Unwerth’s work. The two photographers do come from a feminist point of view with their work however capture it differently. With Bee’s work, the use of colour and the location of the shots tend to add more youth and informality to the images.

The photo below is from the collection Sophie Bogdan, Marlene Pina Berlin July 2014 photographed by Can Dagarslani. The image is of two females captured wearing a stereotypical masculine styled outfit in crisp white shirts which gives connotations of business. The posture they are both identically sat in also gives off a masculine feel of strength and formality, they are both sat with their legs apart which to some, may be seen as ‘un-ladylike’ which gives power and rebellion to this image and shows a fight for equality between the two genders which I find intriguing and it presents women is a positive, empowering light. In today's society and in previous years, it is known that women are to look after themselves and care about what people think of them personally and their appearance. They are to have elegance and a poised posture which is contrasted and rebelled on in this image. The white balls between the legs once again mixes the two genders into one image as whole and shows that women can use balls, they can play sport and include themselves in physical activities. With the colour being white as well as the colour of the backing wall and the shirts that both models are wearing; it allows a sense of

Photography Essay Jade Smith innocence and an angelic look to both women.

There’s also a sense of concealing used within this image; the two balls in between the legs could be used to conceal anything which could be seen as provocative or demonizing. It is a barrier for their dignity however the color white gives connotations of purity.

The image is an example of a juxtaposition through the light, pure tones compared to the dominant, masculine clothing and concept which I find this powerful and dominating for the female gender. You could argue that sexuality alongside gender, is a main concept captured in this photograph. The two women are holding hands which could show a sign of their relationship and the beauty within it, how they are proud and confident within themselves.

The vibrant red lipstick which both models are wearing contrasts with the monochrome colors used in the image; this color is a warm, positive color which associates with our physical needs and includes a powerful masculine energy. It is also used to express love and can give confidence to those who are not as confident and are lacking will power. By doing this, it gives a deeper story and meaning behind the image.

The lighting of the image is also very flat, it almost looks as though it is natural lighting which adds to this purity sense which is given in the image and makes it appear unsaturated; there is very little colour included.

The two females are placed in the center of the image which in this case the composition rules are blurred within this image. The focal point with in this image is dominated by the composition; the balls between the two female’s legs becomes our focal point and focus of the image due to them standing out and the concept behind the image. If we look beyond the composition even more, the hands which are being held could be seen as our focal point suggesting that the woman are united and strong together.

The facial expressions of the women also give implications about the underlying meaning behind the image. They are both captured with their eyes shut which could tie in with the dull, unsaturated tone to the image. It could possibly suggest that where the two women are holding hands, they are too afraid to open their eyes and reveal what society have to think and say about them which puts them in a vulnerable position and objectifies them; they are a public discussion.

With Can Dagarslani’s work, there are similarities to Unwerth’s work where there is a sense of empowerment with the female gender and sexuality. Women are captured in an

Photography Essay Jade Smith androgynous feel to the images; for example, the first image of the two women wearing more formal, masculine clothing makes them appear stereotypically smart and powerful.

Unwerth’s work captures a familiar feel to the images through the position of both the woman and male in the images.

The next photographer is Chloe Sheppard, the image above which is part of her ‘Sad girls on film, 35mm Melancholy’ collection, says a lot about my theme being femininity and being a feminist. Chloe Sheppard here has captured the model from a perspective of a heterosexual male, she is seen to be younger looking which gives this femininity and pureness to the image however the fact that she is captured undoing her trousers and with the noun ‘feminist’ being the main focus of the image through the use of rule of thirds, it gives this power and freedom to the image and follows a more feminist view on women in society. The lighting in this image is fairly ambient however there are some slight colour tones to the image from a side lamp possibly. The light is focused on the models chest area which sexualises her and draws the viewer’s eyes to her top. The kisses on her top and the pattern on her underwear being in red pragmatically connotes love, sex, passion, danger which all can be put under women in today’s stereotypical society. The image in the background of Elvis also helps say a lot about the image. He was a big hit around the 60’s to 70’s; a lot of young women were big fans of him and had images of him up around their rooms. This could suggest that women are always the supporters of the men, they are the ones who have images of them up and it gives a slight immaturity to them. The image also is captured with Elvis looking directly into the camera whereas the model is looking at the floor, this gives Elvis the power in the image even though it is a poster; it gives a shy tone to the models appearance and also suggests she is a teenager. Her work is very similar to Petra Collins in the fact that they both use film cameras to give this rawness to their images and have no editing either which shows a true, believable side to their images. There are also different colours and tones captured in the images from different lights used. They also both capture women to look young girl like from the view point of a male. This photograph captures a teenager becoming a women which can be argued having a slight voyeuristic tone to. It depicts the feminine, naivety of a young teenaged girl and juxtaposes with this sexual, objectifying appearance to the image

Photography Essay Jade Smith however is seen as being acceptable as it is captured by a female. Where the female has dictated the terms and feelings of the image, it allows a powerful, dominant and secure appearance to be portrayed.

The image itself is a form of juxtaposition; the image comes across as though it has been shot for the male gaze however the feminist slogan on the t-shirt is a contrast between the two ideas. There is a feel of vulnerability and naivety from the angle and the setting of the image but the t-shirt makes a contrasting statement.

The next photograph portrays a similar message celebrating real women, Syd, Samera and Taylor by social media photographer, Kira.

The image above portrays a natural femininity and the sense of a real woman; being strong, powerful and confident..The fact that the women are captured eating raspberries from their fingers and this being the central focus of the image, adds elements of sexuality to the image but also a sense of dominance from the women.

The three women are wearing minimal, if not no makeup which links back to this raw, real representation of the female gender coming through. They appear to be captured in quite a laid back manner which gives a more relaxed and natural appearance to the image but also a sense of attitude where they are looking directly into the camera lens, it makes it seem as though the audience are being looked at directly. With this in mind, it links to the work of Chloe Sheppard in that there is an element of naivety and vulnerability; the women are still captured in minimal clothing wearing bralettes and bodysuits which still sexualises them to an extent. The coloring of the image is quite bright and playful. There are a lot of pastel colors which contrasts against the women and allows them to stand out and be the main focus of the image. There is a sense of juxtaposition given from this image due to the fact that to women captured are in underwear yet are photographed outside. It gives a sense of confidence and dominance to the image, celebrating the realistic figures and appearance of these three women. Linking back to my original question- can photographers capture feminism through femininity? This image demonstrates that they can. Through the purity and the feminine appearance to this image in how the women are presented, there is a dominant, free and feminist look to the image at the same time. Expressing the power, freedom and natural beauty that these women have is evident. This concept is also witnessed in the next set of photographs that I looked at from the Lonely Body Positive Campaign.

Photography Essay Jade Smith

This campaign puts forward the idea that in the media and fashion industry, images that are celebrating the female body should be exhibited more often, but not images that have been edited where flaws that are seen as “un-feminine” or “un-ladylike” are concealed. With Kira’s work, there was an appreciation of the female figure and a sense of freedom on body type and appearance given. This is also seen through this campaign and it presents a strong image of women from a feminist angle. The campaign was one of the first in New Zealand that actually presented the real representation of the female body that people could relate to. Across this set of images taken, there seems to be a pattern of similarities throughout each image in that the models are captured having quite a strong, dominant body language and facial expression. The confident body language shows that they are powerful and confident within their own skin and being captured in their underwear which gives this

Photography Essay Jade Smith feminist look to the photographs . The string eye contact allows the women to seem that they are in control and want to be captured this way.

The New Zealand based brand with their motto- ‘for women who wear lingerie as a love letter to themselves’ gave a real, empowering message with a strong point- women are supposed to feel confident and powerful when in their underwear. They should not have to feel looked down on by societies ideology of a perfect women and instead, celebrate themselves.

The campaign founders stated- “We have talked before about why it’s vital for women’s bodies to be photographed as they actually are, but unfortunately, there’s still not enough of it. Which isn’t to say things aren’t changing, just that we still have a way to go. With that in mind — and given that it’s an issue we are so passionate about — Catalogue will this year be hosting a panel discussion at Vivid Ideas about how fashion can empower women.” The images used within the campaign link to Sheppard’s work in that there is a feminine, pure feel to the set of images however there is also a feminist look to them at the same time through the empowerment of the real female with imperfections and a range of different sizes and colours, the armpit hair, bruises and scars are all exhibited which is powerful due to the fact that the women captured are being accepted as there are. This whole idea of empowerment leads onto my final photographer, Ben Hopper with his natural beauty.

The two images here captured by Ben Hopper show a powerful feminist message; all men and women are equal to one another. Hopper explains ‘Natural Beauty, could be classified as a

type of protest.

By creating a contrast between common ‘fashionable’ female beauty and the raw unconventional look of female armpit hair thoughts are intrigued and a discussion is made.’

The human body Is something that is constantly developing over time, with this there are changes and armpit hair is one of the changes which occurs. The female body is something that society sees as ‘sacred’ and should be seen as a feminine appearance rather than a feminist statement. Armpit hair is a natural state which through womens rights and feminist arguments, has become a statement. The beauty industry in todays society has been encouraging hair removal however this set of images gives this rebellious outlook on women and captures the ‘real’ woman. The contrast in these images is high against a solid black

Photography Essay Jade Smith background which contrasts with the females fair skin and makes them the main central focus in the images. Their poses that they are captured in are flaboyant however are masculine in a sense too and it allows them to show their armpit hair proudly. This contrasts from the common ‘fashionable’ feminine beauty to a more raw, unconventional look. The models are also captured wearing little makeup and in white clothing which gives this pure look on the women and shows the true, bare faced and natural appearance that women have. It’s suggesting that it is ok to have armpit hair, it is ok not to wear makeup and it is ok to be true, we don’t have to wear makeup and shave our armpits to feel good about ourselves and should embrace the “inner woman.”

The pictures are taken from a range of close ups and wide shots which allows the viewer to take a look at the womans body and the facial features which not only objectifies the woman, it also allows us to see more of them and get a better understanding of their identity. I really like how the models have been purposely blaced infront of a black backing to allow them to stand out; the lighting on them backs them appear angelic and even though (following the rule of thirds) their armpit hair is not the central focus of the image, we are still drawn to it first which is powerful.

Again there is power, strength and confidence in the models poses, this can also be seen with the models eyes which are looking directly into camera which is another indicator that the female are happy to be seen in this way and happy within themselves, they are still feminine but orject a feeling of equality to men. These images can been argued as being more acceptable in society as the women photographed in a feminist light are models so therefore conform the the more traditional idea of beauty and what society expects a women to appear like. The armpit hair could juxtapose with this ideology due to the idea that women should not show any flaws and should groom themselves To conclude my personal study, photographers can capture feminism through femininity.

Throughout these images there are key elements photographing real women. Their femininity is being sexualised and exhibitted through their strength and empowerment as well as being an equal. The women captured are being sexulised on their own terms rather than a mans terms, this demonstates examples of photographing women for the female gaze rather than for the male gaze. Imperfections are left evident in the image to exaggerate the female body and show a real, relatable and reachable goal for other women and it goes against the stereotypial expectations that society has on women which for me, portrays a feminist idea. I believe that photographers can capture feminism through feminist by showing a power and control over the images through body language. The models in these images all have a femininity to them however where they are captured with a confident body language or facial expressions, it gives a sense of control and strength to the images which therefore agrees with my statement that photographers are able to capture this idea of feminism through femininity. The women captured are portrayed women as real women, those that have flaws and are happy within their own skin. I feel femininsm is something from within, it is being happy with who you are, feeling free and confident within your own skin and then taking that and showing it to others. The femininsm is captured in these photographs through technical codes such as low angle shows, close up shots and body language; portraying women as real women, chanllenging sterotypes and ideologies of femine beauty being the most important factor to being a woman.

Photography Essay Jade Smith Bibliography

Olivia Bee: People don’t take me seriously until they see my work, [20th January], https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/feb/24/olivia-bee-interviewphotographer-hermes Olivia Bee: Full collection, [22nd January] https://www.oliviabee.com Gevinson T., Olivia Bee, Kids in Love, Aperture, 4th April 2016 Elise Stone: Why Celebrating Sexually Empowered Women is Important by Elsie Stone, [11th January] https://www.cataloguemagazine.com.au/feature/why-celebrating-sexually-empoweredwomen-is-important-by-elsie-stone Lonely’s Body Positive Campaign, [10th November] https://www.cataloguemagazine.com.au/feature/lonelys-body-positive-campaign-proveswhy-we-need-more-fashion-imagery-like-it Lonely Lingerie Body Positive Campaign, [10th November] http://culturess.com/2016/10/19/lonely-lingerie-launches-body-positive-campaign/ The Creative Class | Ellen Von Unwerth, Photographer, [15th November] https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/creative-class/the-creative-class-ellen-vonunwerth Sichy I., Ellen Von Unwerth: Couples, Schirmer/Mosel Verlag, 15th May 2011 Can Dagarslani, Identities, Sophie Bogdan, Marlene Pina Berlin July 2014, [21st November] http://www.candagarslani.com/people/album/identities/38.aspx# Chloe Sheppard, 35mm Melancholy Sad Girls on Film, [15th January] Look up blog website address…

Ben Hopper, Natural Beauty, [19th January] http://blog.therealbenhopper.com/2014/04/08/natural-beauty-new-photo-project/ Natural Beauty: The Exhibition Making a Statement About Armpit Hair, Katy Young, [19th January] http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/news-features/TMG10765557/Natural-Beauty-theexhibition-making-a-statement-about-armpit-hair.html