I really like the way the images are set out, I focused on capturing cute girly moments. I used to colour pink colour to show the ‘stereotypical’ girl type. There are different tones and settings, like the beach and a car where the girls are singing and eating food which I think captures the scene of girlhood, the girls are giggling and enjoying spending time together with no boys there. The images are set out in a certain way to try and capture this element of girlhood which adds value to the images.
The lighting is natural with a warm colour temperature and the arrangement of the images is specific to try and capture each image by itself so nothing blends in. There is a sense of repetition within the images as they are all interlinked and are very similar. The idea behind this work is that Gen-Z have a very different lifestyle when growing up, therefore I’m trying to capture this within my images. The essay provides a detailed text of what my project is really about and its very important for my photograph’s and photobook.
I am creating a soft cover A4 booklet with 20 pages, relating to girlhood.
The front and back cover is going to be one image in the middle of a pink boarder with a black bold title “Girlhood”, the pink will go round the back too, with my name in the top left corner.
The first page is going to have a poem on it about girlhood.
You can also see the lay out in the top left corner.
Page 2 and 3 is a whole spread page is one image of two girls posing and leaning in front of a car.
Page 4 and 5 is going to be a side by side comparison of a normal photo and then a black and white image.
Page 6and 7 is going to be one image on the right hand side.
Page 8 and 9 is going to be two images on the right hand side then one full spread on the left.
Page 10 and 11 is a full spread of just one image.
Page 12 to 13, another wide spread image on both pages.
Page 14 to 15, two images on the left an done image on the right.
Page 16 to 17, just one image on the right hand side.
Page 18 to 19, two images on the right hand side with one image on the left, full bleed.
On page 20-23 goes my essay.
Here is the final look on lightroom.
I really like the way the images are set out, I focused on capturing cute girly moments. I used to colour pink colour to show the ‘stereotypical’ girl type. There are different tones and settings, like the beach and a car where the girls are singing and eating food which I think captures the scene of girlhood, the girls are giggling and enjoying spending time together with no boys there. The images are set out in a certain way to try and capture this element of girlhood which adds value to the images.
The lighting is natural with a warm colour temperature and the arrangement of the images is specific to try and capture each image by itself so nothing blends in. There is a sense of repetition within the images as they are all interlinked and are very similar. The idea behind this work is that Gen-Z have a very different lifestyle when growing up, therefore I’m trying to capture this within my images. The essay provides a detalied text of what my project is really about and its very important for my photograph’s and photobook.
This book – Girlhood, is all about what it’s really like to grow up as a girl, told through a series of raw, real photos that show both the strength and the tough moments we go through. It’s not just about looking pretty in pictures—it’s about the real stuff: dealing with a world that often tries to control or judge you. The photos capture those little moments of joy, rebellion, and the everyday struggle to just exist as a girl. It’s about how we’re expected to be one thing but are always trying to push back, balancing what the world wants from us and what we really are. It’s real, it’s messy, and it’s all us.
3 words – Representing girlhood/misogyny
A sentence – Raising awareness for women because of misogyny and what women have to go through.
A paragraph – My photobook is going to be about how there is misogyny in the world and its getting worse, women are just trying to learn and grow and this may be difficult for them, therefore, I am going to take photograph’s of this element.
I want the book to be smooth and soft, small and not too big with black ink and a while boarder and white pages – inspired by the book FEMALE, with A4 pages and a hard cover.
The title is going to be Girlhood, with roughly 20 pages with one white on one side and the photo in the middle on the next page. There will be some words on some pages, not all – relating to the exact photograph.
There will be a range of different images, ranging from girlhood and trying to make awareness for misogyny, girlhood and what girls have to go through.
I choose the book “F E M A L E” by Jitka Hanzlova. This book has 115 pages with different women with different culture, background and everyone is unique in their own way including the background. It tells a story that everyone has there own little bubble and are just other people in peoples lives. Photography captures’ peoples lives and moments forever. I like this photobook because it tells a story from so many different perspectives and lives. There are younger kids, older women and overall a range of ages which shows the growing up and how people growing up in different generations can affect you as a person. Most people are pulling a straight or sad/mad face which you could say shows the rage and anger some women have to go through because of misogamy an what some men are like. Some women may be scared to leave the house and I think this book represents a lot of women in todays society. I have made some images similar revolving around girlhood and misogyny to try and raise awareness and show people that life can be tough and isn’t perfect. I think that Hanzlova tried to make elements of this in her photobook too.
The book “F E M A L E” by Jitka Hanzlova. Hanzlová grew up in Rokytník, a village in eastern Bohemia. She was initially interested in painting and drawing before discovering photography as an artistic medium in 1983. Inspired by the works of Diane Arbus[2] and the anonymous portraits of Walker Evans, she undertook her first trip to America in 1986. In 1987 she began studying visual communication at the University of Essen with a focus on photography, which she completed in 1994. In 1989, Stern published her first group of works under the title “Man Calls It School” about a school for asylum seekers.[3] After the fall of the Wall and the end of the communist regime, she travelled back to her Czech homeland for the first time. I think that she made the female book to raise awareness for women and show people how different we all are, we al need to stick together and be kind to each other. This book is for everyone to view and can change peoples perspectives on life. This book drew me in because it shows people how everyone’s life is so different and we all live in each others life like characters. It sends a message that says you should be kind and look out for everyone because you never know what people are going through at the end of the day, we are all beautiful and perfect in our own special ways.
The book female, its thick and heavy. It smells like an old book and there is a range of different colours. The book has 121 A4 pages that are white with the image in the middle on the right page, they feel smooth and soft with a hard cover on the front and back with a printed image on the front, a white female wearing all black with a coffee in her hand looing blankly at the camera which gives some insight on what the book may be about. The title is red and spaced out with normal font and her name is above the picture which is relevant when it comes to all the images in the book. I think that it tells a story of history, its not just images of loads of different women. its about culture and background. The realisation we all grew up differently and this plays a huge part in our life as women. We are all unique. It has this repeating idea of strength and culutre and this is why I think its about awareness and strength. She’s repeated pretty much everything in the mood and it has the same layout for the whole book which again repents the idea of repation.
I started my girlhood shoot at Le Hocq in jersey around the beach and in my fiat 500. I took images of many different things such as girls putting on lip gloss, laughing (caudinid) and walks a long the beach.
Here are my favourite images from this shoot. I like that the lighting for the shoot was natural daylight, which illuminated the scene and the atmosphere of the beach. The soft sunlight created a warm, golden glow. I used a focused aperture to highlight the moments of joy and expressions of the girls. With a low ISO sensitivity, the images maintained a clean quality, preserving the sharpness of the scenes even in the bright daylight. For the warm tones, I set the white balance to a slight “cast” setting, allowing for a soft, sun-kissed glow that added to the overall nostalgic and dreamy feel of the shoot and the sense of girlhood.
How is feminism and girlhood portrayed through photography?
Introduction
In todays society, there is still significant male patriarchy, and feminist perspectives are often marginalized but I’m interested in the aesthetic on how feminism and girlhood are portrayed through the lens of photography and how misogyny comes into play within this topic.
I’ll be analysing the works of Cindy Sherman and Laura Mulvey, two artists who both offer powerful insights into how women are treated and viewed. Cindy Sherman is best known for her self-portraits, where she transforms herself into “strange” female characters using costumes and makeup. Through this, she challenges traditional ideas of femininity. Sherman’s work deconstructs the idea of a fixed female identity and forces us to question how we view woman/girlhood.
Laura Mulvey’s work as a feminist film theorist is influential to women, especially her concept of the male gaze. Some of her ideas about how women are objectified in visual media are crucial to understanding photography as well. Mulvey argues that women are often framed in ways that make them passive objects for the male viewer, seen as sex objects. This theory is powerful when applied to photography, where women’s bodies are often objectified and are presented in a sexualised way, not seeing them as a person but an object.
Both of these artists shows the world how we criticize the ways that women and girls are represented and treated in society. Sherman does this through performance and images, while Mulvey does it through theory. In my work, I plan to explore the idea of girlhood and femininity. Within this project I hope to better understand how photography plays a role in shaping feminist ideas about girlhood. Ultimately, I’m hoping to show how women grow and blossom, as well as what some challenged women may go through or what some women are put through. Through this exploration I hope to seek awareness for women and girls during their lives.
Claire Cohen, 17 December 2014, America
The Male Gaze
Feminism and girlhood in photography have been hugely shaped by Laura Mulvey and Cindy Sherman. These two women have shaped how we look at gender, identity, and how girls and women are portrayed in pictures ,in society and in general. Their ideas challenge the traditional ways women and girls have been portrayed, offering new ways of understanding femininity, girlhood and the struggles many women have to go though.
Laura Mulvey is best known for her essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1975), where she talks about the “male gaze.” This idea says that in movies and media, women are often shown as objects for men to look at and desire, sexualised and treated like trash which is seen a lot. ‘In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female. The determining male gaze projects its fantasy on to the female form which is styled accordingly’ (Mulvey 1975). Mulvey is saying that in a world where men hold most of the power, looking and enjoying images is split between men and women. Men are the ones doing the looking, while women are often shown as objects to be looked at. The “male gaze” means that men project their desires onto women, and women are usually portrayed in ways that match those desires, rather than being shown as full, active people in their own right. Mulvey argues that this makes women passive, meaning they don’t have control over how they are seen. Her theory made people start thinking about how women in images are usually shown as passive, or just there to be looked at for men. Feminist photographers began questioning how women and girls are shown in images. Mulvey’s ideas pushed us to think critically about how girls and women have been represented in visual art and media for a long time which you could argue is getting worse as time goes on.
Sherman is famous for her self-portraits, where she dresses up in different costumes and challenges ideas. She uses herself as the model in her photos and challenges the way women and girls are shown in the media. By acting out stereotypes of women, Sherman shows that femininity and girlhood aren’t fixed, they change depending on society’s expectations and what people expect us to do/be.
‘I think that the way these pictures come through me is mostly intuitive, unless I have something specific in mind, like with the sex pictures; I definitely had ideas of what each one was about. But I don’t title them. I’m not going to thrust the issues in my work into people’s faces with words.’ (Sherman online) Sherman talks about her creative process. She says that most of the time, her art comes from her gut feeling, without planning everything out. But when she’s working on something specific, like her sex-themed pieces, she has a clearer idea of what she wants to express. She also mentions that she does not use titles for her work because she does not want to push her thoughts onto the audience. She prefers to let the art speak for itself and give people the freedom to interpret it however they like. In a way, Sherman takes on board the control of the “gaze” Mulvey talks about. Instead of just being the subject of a photograph for people to look at, Sherman is actively making the image herself and showing herself off in an unusual way. This gives her the power to change how girlhood and femininity are represented. She makes us think about how we see girls and women in images, this is what she is most famous for. Together, Mulvey and Sherman have completely changed how we think about girlhood in photography. Mulvey’s ideas help us understand how images of women and girls are often controlled by a male perspective, while Sherman’s work shows us how we can change how women are presented in the media. Mulvey made us realize how damaging these traditional ways of representing women can be, and Sherman’s photographs give us a new way of looking at the power women have. Their work encourages us to think differently about how girls and women are seen in photography. We’re now more aware of how gender, power, and identity play a role in these images.
Cindy Sherman was born in 1954 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey; she lives and works in New York. Sherman is famous for her self-portraits, where she dresses up in different costumes and challenges ideas. She uses herself as the model in her photos and challenges the way women and girls are shown in the media, the misogyny women have to go through, ranging from the 1900s all the way to the 21st century. Women are stereotyped and shamed upon for this stereotypical way that women need to cook and clean whilst the man goes to work and make all the money. Mulvey agrees with this, ‘woman then stands in patriarchal culture as signifier for the male other, bound by a symbolic order in which man can live out his phantasies and obsessions through linguistic command by In posing them on the silent image of woman still tied to her place as bearer of meaning, not maker of meaning.’ (Mulvey 1975) This quote from Laura Mulvey is about how women are often portrayed in movies and society. In a patriarchal culture, women are seen as objects for men’s fantasies. They do not have their own voice or power to create meaning; instead, they are shown as silent and passive, with men controlling how they are seen. Women are often represented in ways that fulfil men’s desires, rather than being allowed to shape their own stories or identities, which agrees with what Sherman is trying to represent.
Sherman construct images using herself as the model of feminine women. She shows elements of sexual desire and domination. Sherman recognizes those fixed identity concepts surrounding women, suggesting the possibility of women’s self-authorization in reality (self esteem). This is done by dressing up, posing, and photographing herself in different scenarios, Sherman critiques the way women are portrayed in popular media. This area is particularly for Sherman’s elaborately “disguised” self-portraits that comment on social role-playing and sexual stereotypes. Sherman is trying to make a move and a change into women’s lives within her images. Her images have a message, they are not just a picture
Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Stills #10, 1978
One of my favourite images that Sherman took is the one in black and a white of a women on the kitchen floor. This is because of the stereotypical change Sherman’s trying to make. The type of lighting is black and white, imitating that the image was taken in the early 1900s. The white balance is cool/cold. There is a deep historical meaning within this because of this huge male misogyny and what women have to go through i.e. cat calling. Men get away with it and women “have to suffer in silence”. Even in 2024 some women are scared to leave the house at night but Sherman tried to raise awareness about that. ‘I didn’t have any interest in traditional art’ (Sherman Goodreads). This shows that she did not care about making something beautiful or the art in itself – she cared about raising awareness for women and making them seen/heard rather than making something for money or fame. Sherman wanted to target everybody with her are for the people to take in and claim conceptually within their own thoughts. If her audience resonates with an image because of its portrayal of womanhood, or perhaps it makes them think of their views of women, that is simply what that viewer took from her art
Laura Mulvey
I have been looking at how photographers use the human body to express ideas about identity, and to gain further insights from the book Laura Mulvey The writer and Academic. I have chosen to look closer at the writings of Laura Mulvey. Even though Mulvey is best known for her work in film theory, her ideas about the “male gaze” are really relevant to photography too, especially when it comes to how identity is portrayed. In her famous essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, Mulvey talks about how women are often shown as objects to be looked at, rather than as active characters with their own story. She explains that in traditional films, women are often passive, only to be admired by male viewers, while male characters are more active and in control, “leaders”. Here is a quote that backs my point. ‘As a woman, you never escape the male gaze’ (Mulvey Goodreads). This is true because no matter what you do or where you are there is usually always misogyny happening and men feel like they have power and ownership over us as women which is unjust. Women are trapped in this sort of loop hole that men think they have the power which is not true.
I find this theory really interesting because it makes me think about how people are shown in photography. If a photographer only focuses on the body, or sexualizes their subject without considering their personality or story, it can create the same kind of objectification Mulvey talks about. After reading her work, I started to think about how I can challenge that in my own photography, in my images I want to capture more of a women’s story and personality.
In my own images, I’ve tried to move away from the idea of showing someone as an object. One of the things I did was give my subjects more powerful, active poses. I took one of my friends sitting alone, looking out the window with her arms crossed.
An image from my project on girlhood
It was not just an image of her looking pretty, but a moment where she seemed deep in thought and in control of her space. This made her seem more active in the image, rather than just something to look at. It helped show a side of her that felt more real and personal. I also worked with framing to show my subjects as part of a bigger story, rather than just focusing on their body. In one image, I showed more of the environment around the subject, giving context to who they are and where they are. This made the image feel less like a snapshot of just a body and more like a glimpse into a person’s life or emotions. I believe that these images relate to Mulvey’s theory and they are trying to make awareness for what she believes.
When I look at my own work now, I realize how important it is to think about the message I am sending with each image. The way I frame a shot, use lighting, and choose my subject’s pose can all say something about their identity and how powerful or vulnerable they seem. I have learned a lot from Mulvey’s ideas, and I have started to challenge the way women, in particular, are usually portrayed in images. My images now feel like they capture the personality and depth of the subject rather than just how they look. It’s been a really eye-opening experience, and I’m proud of how I’m learning to express identity in a more thoughtful way.
‘It is said that analysing pleasure, or beauty, destroys it.’ (Mulvey 1975). This is a good quote because it suggests that overanalysing the experiences of beauty and pleasure can take away the immediacy and emotional impact. It can ruin the feeling and make it less special. You can see this in the media and Mulvey means this by where women are just looked at and not take seriously which to us, takes away the power and beauty of us and it belittles women. They are more than just an object.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the work of Cindy Sherman and Laura Mulvey has really influenced how I think about how women and girlhood are shown in photography. Both artists challenge the usual ways women are represented and offer new ways of looking at femininity, identity, and power. Their work has helped me realize how important it is to think about how women are viewed in society and how we can change that through photography.
Cindy Sherman shows that femininity is not something fixed, but something that changes depending on what society expects of women. I think her work makes us think about how we see women in photographs and how stereotypes are created. In my own work, I want to explore girlhood and femininity in a way that questions these stereotypes, just like Sherman does in her images.
Laura Mulvey’s idea of the “male gaze” also has had a big impact on how I approach photography. In her writing, Mulvey talks about how women are often shown as objects for men to look at in movies and media. This idea is also important for photography because how we frame women in images can either objectify them or show them as real people with their own stories. I have tried to avoid focusing just on the body in my images. Instead, I aim to show more of my subject’s personality and story. I want my images to feel real and not just like something for others to look at.
Both Sherman and Mulvey have taught me a lot about how women are shown in art and how we can change that. They have made me more aware of how images can influence how women are seen and how we can use photography to challenge stereotypes. Like Sherman, I want my work to question traditional ideas of femininity, and like Mulvey, I want to make sure my subjects are shown as full, complex people. Through my photography, I hope to contribute to the conversation about how women are represented and help make space for more empowering images of girlhood.
I feel like these images relate to the beauty within females in our society. They reflect confidence and power, showing women that we are strong and beautiful. Out of the 100 photos we took I managed to narrow it down to two images that are my favourite. This is because its pin pointing the beauty of this particular female.
These images are just the start of showing female and feminist poses to attract attention and
I want to explore the theme of misogyny, feminism, how men expect us to act and want us to act. How women are objectified and men are passive, women are active. John Berger said “Men act women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at” This quote means so much more than what it says. He is trying to say that women are self-conscious because of men and have to act a certain way or will be looked down on. Men can make women feel uncomfortable, with things that happen daily such as cat calling, sexual harassment and all these things relate to the quote as women have to put up with the horrors from these men even in the 20th century. This could be raising awareness for women and could help them as its focussing on the points that need to change. Cindy Sherman explored the theme of stereotype and how women are portrayed in the 1970s which is why I also will speak about her and be referencing her in my project.
Why does it matter to you?
This area matters to me because its about raising awareness about women that have been going through this for centuries. Women are sexualised, objectified and treated like nothing. There is domestic abuse ,rape, violence, misogyny, a patriarchal society and so much more. However speaking about these issues can bring a light to these issues and could get some women to speak up in case they’re scared or maybe could change society bit by bit. I like speaking about issues especially when it could make change and make women feel comfortable enough to speak up about it.
How you wish to develop your project?
I will develop my project by exploring the complex and deeply interconnected themes of misogyny, rape culture, and feminism through the lens of visual storytelling. I aim to use photography as a view to see harmful stereotypes and raise awareness about the lived experiences of women. I plan to experiment with various photographic techniques, such as portraiture, landscape photography, and symbolic imagery, to create emotional and psychical work that sparks conversation. My goal is not only to highlight the core of these horrific issues but also to empower individuals to engage with them and try to speak up. This could change social justice and equality as women have go through a lot which I don’t like and I think its not fair.
Here is some of the images that I am inspired by and want to do similarly to this.
When and where do you intent to begin your study?
I plan to do this by investing women’s beauty and misogyny etc, How do beauty standards shape women’s identities?.. Looking at artists like Cindy Sherman because her work will help you understand the relationship between women, identity, and representation. afterwards I would develop a question to explore, such as: “How can photography challenge conventional beauty ideals?” or “What does true female beauty look like beyond societal standards?” This could be done at home, friends home, beach, town centre, harbour, in a car, public, in bathroom with the shower running (with steam). These places are places I’m thinking of and hopefully will inspire women by starting off in a home, reflecting women I will choose settings that feel personal or empowering. I would use the tecqinues: portraiture and self-portraiture to explore both personal and societal views of women. Experiment with lighting and composition to create different moods, emphasizing various aspects of female identity. Focus on authentic representation by capturing real moments. In my images I would need to use symbolism like mirrors, clothing, or makeup, to comment on the construction of beauty. Include women of different ages, body types, and ethnicities. This is to either to highlight or challenge beauty norms. For these images I would be using a range of different editing tools, suck as photoshop Lightroom and I would be using various colours such as black and white or colour choices to enhance the emotional tone of your work. Subtle edits, like adding textures or layers. However by doing all of this I would still need to make sure and consider how it questions societal norms and contributes to the conversation about female representation to be able to try and make a change.
Research & Concept Investigate how photography reflects and challenges themes of feminism, beauty, and female identity. Key questions to explore include: How do beauty standards shape women’s identities? How can photography break traditional representations of women? Look at artists like Cindy Sherman, Francesca Woodman, and Laura Zalenga for inspiration. Their work will help you understand the relationship between women, identity, and representation.
Personal Theme Develop a central question to explore, such as: “How can photography challenge conventional beauty ideals?” or “What does true female beauty look like beyond societal standards?”
Techniques Use portraiture and self-portraiture to explore both personal and societal views of women. Experiment with lighting and composition to create different moods, emphasizing various aspects of female identity. Focus on authentic representation by capturing real, unposed moments that move away from stereotypical beauty standards.
Visual Style & Symbolism Use symbolism in your photos, like mirrors, clothing, or makeup, to comment on the construction of beauty. Include women of different ages, body types, and ethnicities to reflect the variety of female experiences and challenge narrow beauty ideals.
Photo Shoot Planning Focus on photographing diverse female subjects to reflect a range of identities. Choose settings that feel personal or empowering, like home, nature, or urban spaces. Be intentional with clothing and makeup, either to highlight or challenge beauty norms.
Editing Keep editing minimal to preserve authenticity, but consider using black-and-white or color choices to enhance the emotional tone of your work. Subtle edits, like adding textures or layers, can help reflect the complexity of female identity.
Reflection Reflect on how your photos address themes of feminism and beauty. Consider how your work questions societal norms and contributes to the conversation about female representation.
Conclusion Conclude by summarizing how your work adds to the dialogue around women’s identity, beauty, and empowerment.
Herr are the top 3 artists at the top.
I plan to do this by investing women’s beauty and misogyny etc, How do beauty standards shape women’s identities?.. Looking at artists like Cindy Sherman because her work will help you understand the relationship between women, identity, and representation. afterwards I would develop a question to explore, such as: “How can photography challenge conventional beauty ideals?” or “What does true female beauty look like beyond societal standards?” This could be done at home, friends home, beach, town centre, harbour, in a car, public, in bathroom with the shower running (with steam). These places are places I’m thinking of and hopefully will inspire women by starting off in a home, reflecting women I will choose settings that feel personal or empowering. I would use the tecqinues: portraiture and self-portraiture to explore both personal and societal views of women. Experiment with lighting and composition to create different moods, emphasizing various aspects of female identity. Focus on authentic representation by capturing real moments. In my images I would need to use symbolism like mirrors, clothing, or makeup, to comment on the construction of beauty. Include women of different ages, body types, and ethnicities. This is to either to highlight or challenge beauty norms. For these images I would be using a range of different editing tools, suck as photoshop Lightroom and I would be using various colours such as black and white or colour choices to enhance the emotional tone of your work. Subtle edits, like adding textures or layers. However by doing all of this I would still need to make sure and consider how it questions societal norms and contributes to the conversation about female representation to be able to try and make a change.
