What I want to explore: 

The topic I would like to explore is girlhood and femininity. I will be focusing particularly on older teenagers at the age of 17-19 and the struggles of moving from adolescence to adulthood and the hardships young women face. I like this topic as it is a current topic which is faced globally, and I feel it is a topic which I will enjoy expressing my opinion on and it is an important topic which needs embracing by young people especially. I would like to initially explore how the media portrays women in positive and negative ways and how it creates derogatory and unrealistic stereotypes of women. Gender Identity and roles is a topic I wanted incorporate and the stereotypical themes and personality traits a woman is expected to have. I find this topic interesting as expectations and views on women are changing but not particularly quickly. By focusing on multiple branches of femininity and youth such as empowerment, stereotypes, different eras, I would like to cover different aspects of women, femininity gender stereotypes, identity and rights. The idealised view of women is the key part to my chosen topic, and I feel I can expand on this by including both positive and negative viewpoints. 

Why it matters to me: 

I really like the idea of femininity and women in today’s age as it is a subject that I, myself live through and endure. I can also use other young women enduring this to convey my message. I hope to express my theories on gender and identity and how women can be interpreted in different ways and do not need to fit a specific narrative. Analysing Cindy Sherman in particularly has aided this idea as she, herself has worked on how women can be interpreted in different ways and all the multiple narratives they can fit. Although, a difference I would like to express Is a positive light on women and how they can in, fact be strong and independent compared to an idealised view of being helpless and dependent on men. I would like to incorporate this specific positive side to my project because although a stigma of negativity towards women is continued in the modern day, positive changes are progressing for us as a collective. 

How I wish to develop my project: 

I would like to first develop my project by analysing artists such as Cindy Sherman and learning about her work in order to do another photoshoot inspired by her work. By posing similar to Cindy in a way that almost mocks the media and has a humorous, ‘over the top’ side to it and how a negative topic can be turned into something inspiring, beautiful but also entertaining with a humorous side to it. This photoshoot I would also then like to create a photoshoot based on the portrayal of women in the media as I believe as the digital age becomes increasingly popular and technology is consuming ore of our lives each day, people are being objectified and critiqued more than ever. After analysing different current day media products, I would like to create my first photoshoot on this. This photoshoot will explore how although all the women may look similar and may be seen for one purpose only, they also have their own lifestyles, values and emotions which is often ignored in modern day advertising. 

Which form I wish to present my study as: 

I would like to produce my work as a photobook, which contains different sections of female representation from the media to idealised versions of women and then how women may feel due to this. I feel like this array of different representations will create a powerful message on how actions have consequences and how they impact lives. I want it to look as professional as possible and for my work to stand out. I would be including my essay into my photobook and I feel that by placing it on the final pages of my photobook will help the reader to fully understand the images they have seen after reading the essay, however, by viewing the photos as the beginning of the book, an element of mystery and wonder will be created as the viewer questions the purpose of each photoshoot. 

Where and when I intend to begin my study: 

I have decided to start my study by researching artists that relate to my work such as Cindy Sherman. I will then create a shoot inspired by her work as a response to her views and displaying how I agree and empathise with her work. I will create a photoshoot in the photography studio showing a basic photoshoot of how women must display fake emotions in photographs and pretend that their forced emotions are in-fact real, when they are not. I will then focus on my next chosen photographer ‘Helmut Newton’, for his photoshoot I will be focusing on real life fashion images which may objectify and stereotype women. His work is beautiful yet occasionally provocative and suggestive, this impression of women is then spread through sales of the brands being promoted. I feel my true intention within this project is to allow my spectator/audience to really get the concept and the meaning behind my work and the message of the true importance and power of women I am trying to promote. 

Analysis Of Project: 

I will be creating photoshoots with 3 models in particular and I will be focusing predominantly on high contrast black and white images, however, some photoshoots may be in colour. My images will all be inside as many of my inspiration photographers focus on inside settings. I will also not be including any males in my images as I would like to fully focus on the female gender and promoting their rights by include young, developing women and showing how objectification affects them. I will be presenting these images through a photobook instead of a film as a book will be an accessible and straightforward way for my audience to read and understand my message in a convenient way. I will most likely include a small amount of accompanied text with each shoot to give a basic analysis and explanation of the different genres of images. I will be using Adobe Lightroom to create this photobook and will be incorporating images that have been edited and tweaked on both Lightroom and Photoshop. These decisions will help to elevate and improve my photos by adding AI, Filters and basic edits to my photos, adding meaning and value to them.