I wanted to create a mini project surrounding Femininity and the reality of being a women.
Feminism is a movement which is about of trying to get equal rights for women.
The wave started in the 19th to 20th century with the Women’s suffragette movement where their main focus surrounded getting women the right to vote.
These were my two artist inspirations:
Lauren Marek
I chose Marek in order to photograph insecurities that many people have such as wrinkles, rosacea, hair and skin texture; I chose this as due to social media many of us constantly see airbrushed and photoshoped images which hide skin texture which can make many people insecure that they do not match the influencers body/skin. I wanted to enhance my skin texture and and “blemishes” in order to show the beauty and naturality of texture as everyone has it and it shouldn’t be something to be ashamed about.
Babara Kruger
I choose Kruger due to her feminist influences ans the idea of giving people power. Her use of red and white lettering against monochromatic images really stood out for me as it helps get Kruger’s message across. I wanted my photo shoot to be empowering yet still show the struggles that women face in their every day to day.
Other influences:
Favourite Images Inspired by Lauren Marek:
I think these images help to highlight the reality of skin and its different natures. I really liked these images as they help to show different elements of the human body and show “insecurities” which I find that with enough coverage people settle with reality and understand that not everyone does fit with societies standards but can still love their skin for everything that it does for them.
Favourite photos Influenced by Babara Kruger:
These were my portraits which have more subtle meanings. In the first image during the shoot i placed the nail varnish messily and wanted to photograph that to symbolise that not everything has to be or is perfect. I thought that the colour red was important to show power and confidence as people can create their own version of perfect. The second image shows A Queen and a King playing cards; this image helps to symbolise the patriarchal society and the divide their is between men and women; whether that be the pay gap or simply the way society treats people differently depending on their sex. The third image makes references to social media and society as in more ways than not many people find themselves obsessed with the way they look due to insecurities and the desire to fit in. I feel that as a women I need to check and make sure I look presentable so that I don’t get called out for “letting myself go” or “dressing inappropriately”.
These final images have more of a powerful and clear meaning. The first and third images are references to sexual harassment and the rape culture that society has brought up. with the news showing that at least 97% of women have experienced sexual harassment I thought that these were important images. Society still tends to condone women for getting sexually harassed and abused with constant questions of “well what were you wearing?” and “what time where you out?”; whereas they were asking the wrong questions as it does not matter the piece of cloth in which people decide to wrap themselves in but rather the people who rape and abuse others and their rewarded attitudes. The use of the keys relates to the fear that many women face when walking alone, as they feel the need to carry around with them something to protect themselves so that men will not abuse them.
Overall, I am quite happy with my outcomes and the way they turned out as I think I have managed to touch on many important subjects through the use of experimentation with different objects and poses. I hope that this project inspires future projects in hopes to speak up about important topics and raise awareness of normal and natural bodies and skin and the issues that still apply to women in this patriarchal society.