I’ve narrowed down to 3 final photos to edit and finalise for the Femininity vs Masculinity topic.

These 3 photos, for me, portray the topic of Femininity vs Masculinity very well, and with some editing I believe they could be staple pieces of my work.

Editing ( photo 1 ) –

I began with playing around with saturation and colour in photoshop with the first photo, increasing the contrast and hue and played around with black and white a little, just to see what might look the best for this specific photograph.

The highlights and shadows with this edit, I feel, worked really well and complimented the dimensions on the photo especially on the skin. It gave the photo a warm feeling with the use of warm colours and lights that were used in the studio as well as successfully contrasting with the shadows and lowlights within the photo.

With this edit, I wanted to have a basic feel to it, so I wanted to try out a black and white idea. Initially all I did was add a black and white cover over the top of the original photo but after investigating with the saturation and shadows I was able to give the photo more of a raw and gritty feel which I think fits perfectly with this photo.

Editing ( photo 2 ) –

For this photo I have a definitive idea of what I want to do. I want to make this photo almost over saturated to enhance the inspirational aspect of male perfume adds and how they are portrayed through the internet

This edit was not very successful as it was difficult editing this on photoshop purely using saturation and hues.

For the next edit I am going to try and use dimensions to improve this photo.

I did end up cropping the photo and changing the hue, but only slightly so that the natural elements of the photo weren’t taken away as it happened. I smoothed the texture a little around the face but made sure to keep it within the rest of the photo to keep the realism.

Editing ( photo 3 ) –

For this photo, I want to definitely use a more grunge feeling to the photo to show almost power as that will compliment the red hue already in the photo.

I worked a lot with the saturation in this photo and the colours that make up the photo, like the purples, blues and reds. I am not sure if I like the brightness of the photo, it does not really fit with the grunge idea I was going for, so with the next edit I am going to focus more on the shadows and how that will effect the edit style and photo itself.

This edit went a lot better for me, as I used Lightroom to edit instead of photoshop. The grunge effect I was going for definitely was shown in this edit as I focused on the contrast between colours and shadows in the photo, also thinking about the texture and clarity of the photo as well. The use of the red hue focuses on the femininity of the photo as well as thinking about the connotations the colour red has, as its often linked to danger which contradicts the stereotypical idea of femininity.

Artist Inspiration –

The artist that inspired these photos and edits was Cindy Sherman.

In her photos, she only ever photographed herself and I wanted to use that idea of independence in my work as well because, woman ( stereotypically ) are not independent and rely on other people for most things. I wanted to counteract that idea by using photos of myself.

My photoshoot plan I’m going to use for masculinity vs femininity.

Final Photoshoots:

A woman with ‘feminine’ products and objects, (makeup).

Take a photo of a man holding masculine items with no shirt, (briefcase, aftershave).

Go into a ‘feminine looking’ room (pink walls), (ballet pictures), with a masculine guy on the bed in front of the camera.

Photo Contact Sheet:
Femininity:

For the feminine photoshoot, I did myself and other males wearing makeup, holding stereotypical female objects like perfume, body spray, makeup and has curves too. Also, a female model wearing a crop top which is considered feminine, necklace, and herself holding makeup and using it.

Masculinity:

For the masculine photoshoot, I took photos of myself and some more models showing off ‘masculine muscles’, holding objects that are either heavy or show off ‘masculine’ vibes. Also, jaw lines and males Adams apple.

Cindy Sherman

To get information about Cindy Sherman and used the website:

https://www.moma.org/artists/5392

“I wish I could treat every day as Halloween, and get dressed up and go out into the world as some eccentric character.”

–Cindy Sherman

Sherman has continued to transform herself, displaying the diversity of human types and stereotypes in her images. She often works in series, improvising on themes such as  centrefolds (1981) and  society portraits (2008).  untitled #216, from her history portraits (1981), exemplifies her use of theatrical effects to embody different roles and her lack of attempt to hide her efforts: often her wigs are slipping off, her prosthetics are peeling away, and her makeup is poorly blended. She highlights the artificiality of these fabrications, a metaphor for the artificiality of all identity construction.

Femininity:

Masculinity:

i will use these images to create abstract editorial images, these are the raw photos i have chosen from the photoshoot the move forward with

Cindy Sherman works with female stereotypes and invents personas and tableaus that identify the nature of females. She does this by creating images that assumes gender roles like a photographer, model, makeup artist, hairdresser and stylist. Whilst also portraying a career girl, a blond bombshell, a fashion victim, a clown, or a society lady of a certain age. For over 35 years she created eloquent and provocative body of work for our visual culture.

Sherman’s photography is a depiction of the different ways culture defines “woman.” Her art plays on the feminist idea that gender arises exclusively within culture and deconstructs dominant gender ideologies, representing the underside of popular culture’s definition of “woman.”

She rose to fame in the international art world with her series of black-and-white photographs, “Untitled Film Stills” (1977–80), which advanced the concept of narrative photography. 

Renowned for her depictions of female stereotypes, Sherman has played with masculinity and gender expression before. In a series referred to as “Doctor and Nurse,” Sherman became both a male and female character, embodying stereotypical mid-century professional archetypes.

Absurdist femininity

• when taking photos I’m looking to create an absurd sense of extreme femininity ( inspired roughly by a mix of perfume and makeup advertisement

the photos i want to create are intended to mock the sexualisation of women in these advertisements

• my first idea for this is attempting to capture the spray of a perfume, in order to accomplish this i will use a very close up perspective with a fast shutter speed and a very bright flash
• i am creating this image in order to create an editorial absurdist image usinf it to create a halo of spraying perfume bottles
• to complete this image i needed a focus of the edit, so i created a self portrait style image turning my back to the camera and holding myself around my waste to create a feel of insecurity in the overtly sexual clothes ( a very small top )

• my next idea is about the sensuality of lipstick, so first i aim to focus on getting images of the model applying it with close up shots of her lips
• my next course of action is to create an idea that represents the imagery of smudged lipstick and what that infers so i will create photos of the model intentionally smudging it down her chin- as well and after photos of it being already smudged and her tugging at her lip, this is supposed to create the feeling of small protests.

• I also want to get a few portrait photos with the idea of cutting and sticking them together to create very slightly distorted images in reference to the culture of plastic surgery and with the idea of creating slightly unsettling photos.

Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman is an American Artist, born in 1954, whose work generally consists of self portraits where she photographs herself in a variety of contexts and as different characters. Sherman often portrays herself as stereotypical women in her photographs, resembling scenes from 1950s and 1960s films. Shortly after moving to New York at the age of just 23, Cindy Sherman produced her ‘Untitled Film Stills’ (1977-1980) where she dressed up as imaginary characters in various settings. Some of these characters include the unhappy housewife, the jaded seductress and the jilted lover which are all mainly based off of those from mid 20th century B movies. Cindy Sherman mentioned “I wanted them to seem cheap and trashy, something you’d find in a novelty store and buy for a quarter”. This shows that her images were often taken and made to mimic advertisements and promotions for movies at the time. These film stills remain her best-known works and, once released, they immediately became a point of discussion for feminism, postmodernism and representation. Sherman works in series and most of her work have recurring themes. Additionally, she had an exhibition made for her work in 2012 at the Museum of Modern Art displaying work from throughout her career. Finally, a quote I find interesting from Cindy Sherman is “None of the characters are me. They’re everything but me.” because it explains that in every photo and as every character she dressed up as, she never showed her true self which creates a sense of mystery. This also adds to the sense that women in media are often portrayed as someone else, rather than who they really are, therefore, the things you see in the media are often fake and just for show.

This is one of Cindy Sherman’s photographs where she appears to be dressed up as a house wife. This impression is caused by the fact that she is in a kitchen and appears to be unpacking her food shopping. Due to the photo being monochrome and slightly pixelated, you can tell it was taken on an older camera which also indicates how its inspiration would have come from the time when women were less superior to men. The character she is imitating in the photo, an house wife, almost looks as if she is looking at someone, perhaps her husband, and appears fed up or annoyed. I personally admire this photo because I believe that it definitely tells a story and relates a lot to toxic feminism (the belief that woman have to look and act a certain way, usually doing jobs around the house and looking after her family). Additionally, I find it admiring how Cindy Sherman would set up the camera and photograph herself, instead of someone else, which is something I would like to try for my own photoshoots.

Claude Cahun

Claude Cahun, born Lucy Schwob, was a French artist, photographer, surrealist and writer. They were born in 1894 in Nantes, France and died in 1954 in Jersey Channel Islands. Cahun is best known for their self portraits and photo montages where they explored themes of identity. They were associated with the surrealist movement and were an activist who challenged traditional societal norms and gender roles throughout their work. Cahun moved to Jersey in 1937 with their stepsister and lover Marcel Moore. Claude Cahun was later imprisoned and sentenced to death for resistance during the Occupation in 1944. Although Claude Cahun survived, most of their work was destroyed by the Nazis. Cahun’s work is represented within the Jersey Heritage Trust collection and they have become and important figure in the history of queer and feminism art.

This photo of Claude Cahun, in my opinion, is one of her most important photographs that appear to question the societal norms of being female. Not only did she change her name but she also shaved her head to challenge gender roles and express herself for who she is. In this photo, Claude Cahun is presented in a very masculine way, however, there are also hints of femininity which makes you question whether you are looking at a male or female. Either way, she appears confident with who she is by her facial expressions and appearance within the mirror but also slightly constrained with the collar of the jacket hiding herself. This gives off the impression that she feels like she can’t fully show her true identity, the reflection in the mirror. Additionally, this may be highlighted by the fact that her gaze is directly towards the camera but in the mirror she is looking the other way because her true identity can’t be shown to society. I personally admire this photo because it seems to be very thought out and gives off many different impressions, making the viewer really have to think deeply about it.

Comparison

Overall, Cindy Sherman and Claude Cahun’s work relate to each other through the fact that they explore female stereotypes and take selfies rather than photos of someone else, however, Claude Cahun appears to go against these stereotypes where Cindy Sherman tries to oblige to them. Similarly, both the artists explore identity as Cindy Sherman dresses as different characters and never herself but Claude Cahun shows hints of their identity through their characters and appearance.

Both Masculinity and femininity are how you identify and how people recognise you to be. This is shown in your attitude, behaviours, and characteristics, but also in your gender identity. The terms ‘masculinity’ and ‘femininity’ are binary opposite, this means the related terms have opposite in meaning. Some examples of this which I think are interesting concepts are: young vs old, man vs woman, ignorance vs wisdom, and action vs inaction.

Femininity

Femininity is typically associated with girls and women. We perceive them to dress in feminine ways and have typical characteristics, behaviours, and attitudes generally associated with girls and women, such as being nurturing and polite.

Femininity now & then

Femininity today is called modern feminism, and we would associate it with these qualities: independent, strong, confident. Traditional feminism is more focused on women fighting for their rights against men. We would associate them to be a stay at home wife or mother where they would do the cooking, laundry, and looking after children.

Masculinity

Masculinity is attitudes and behaviours that signify maleness, but can also be what we recognise masculine is. Toxic Masculinity is where men have cultural pressures where they think they have to behave in certain ways and show behaviours and traits that are controlling and entitled.

Identity

Identity can be associated by with gender, culture, social, geographical, political, stereotypes and prejudices.

Culture identity is what we recognise to be shared characteristics between a group of people whether that is religion, language, cuisine or social behaviours.

Identity Politics

Gender, age, ethnicity, culture, social groups, are all examples of identity.

Identity politics:

Identity politics is a term that describes politics which is based on a particular identity such as religion, race, gender, social background, class or another identifying factor form. Identity politics aim to eliminate negative behaviours towards particular groups/identities or rectifying injustices suffered by a group of people. Many social issues over the past few years — same-sex marriage, police shootings of unarmed black men, trans people in bathrooms, the fluidity of gender and trigger warnings — are all typically the kinds of issues people mean when they refer to identity politics.

Different political identities:

The groups most commonly associated with identity politics in today’s political environment center on:

• race
• ethnicity
• religion
• gender
• sexual orientation

An interesting reference point in this regard comes from Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign website, on which he listed 19 different identity groups for which he had specific plans. These included:

• tribal nations
• women
• people with disabilities
• Black Americans
• military families
• union members
• rural Americans
• older Americans
• the LBGTQ+ community
• veterans
• the Catholic community
• students/young Americans
• immigrants
• the AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) community
• the Indian American community
• the Jewish community
• the Muslim American community
• the Latino community
• the Arab American community

Others would point out that White conservatives or political liberals can also constitute political identity groups.

Jersey Identity Politics:

Identity Politics can also be seen in Jersey, through the local identity / language of Jèrriais. Jèrriais is the traditional language of Jersey, which is closely related to French.

It is very important to the locals of Jersey because it is a part of their heritage. Jèrriais used to be Jersey’s first language and was used during the occupation as people could speak Jèrriais without the Germans understanding, this is why it was very important. Jèrriais was used until the 19th century as a first language for the majority of the population of Jersey; even as late as the beginning of the Second World War. The reason for the decline in using this language is due to the fact that Jèrriais was banned in schools just after WW2. “There was a feeling that English was the future. It was socially desirable to bring up English-speaking children. Speaking anything but English marked you out as a peasant. People were made to feel ashamed. They were ridiculed. There was a perception amongst native Jèrriais speakers that this is our language but it’s a thing of the past. And we’ll die with it.” Jèrriais was then called ‘farmers language’ and anyone who used it was called poor or a peasant.

Before the 1960s, the majority of schoolchildren no longer spoke more than a few words as there was no Jèrriais education in schools, and by the 1980s and 90s, the language had almost completely disappeared from everyday use. Since then, a coordinated campaign has been made to bring the language back since it declined. Over the last decade, the development of an education programme has improved, which means all Jersey children can learn the language at school. By teaching Jèrriais to children we can make sure it has a future and stays a language. There are very few parents able to teach their children the language, so it’s important that it’s taught at school. 

Although Jèrriais has slowly become forgotten, and few people use it as an everyday language, there’s still elements of Jèrriais all around the island. For example, it is reflected on street signs all around the island to increase the language’s visibility. This is highly linked to identity politics as people are campaigning to try and bring this language back, to allow people to communicate with a choice of English or Jèrriais. Locals think that having the choice between languages would increase a sense of belonging as an island and bring people closer as they would then have the opportunity to have something in common which is unique and only locals would be able to speak and understand the language fluently.

Culture wars:

Culture wars are types of conflicts between groups that have different cultural ideals and beliefs. The term is commonly used to describe contemporary politics in western democracies with issues such as abortion, homosexuality, transgender rights, racial viewpoints and other cultural conflicts based on peoples views and values. Some people claim that culture wars do not describe real behaviour, or that it describes only the behaviour of a small political elite. Others claim culture war is real and widespread, and even that it is fundamental to explaining Americans’ political behaviour and beliefs.

One example of a culture war is the Black Lives Matter movement, a political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people, and promote anti-racism. This first emerged in the Us in 2013. While the movement spread beyond the US over the following years, what really transformed it into a global phenomenon was the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, in May 2020. An estimated 15 to 26 million people participated in the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in the United States after the death of Floyd, making it one of the largest movements in the country’s history. Black Lives Matter protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful; when violence does occur, it is often committed by counter-protesters. Despite this, opponents often try to portray the movement as violent.