What is Romanticism?

Romanticism is a movement in the arts and literature which was originated in the late 18^th century. Emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity and the primacy of the individual.

In Photography Romanticism is used in contrast with landscapes. Romantic landscapes celebrate the instinctive, imaginative and purity of nature. It can also evoke deep feelings of emotion and can add a deeper meaning to the images taken. 

Romanticism was a reaction against the spread of industrialism, as well as a criticism of the aristocratic social and political norms. So it was then used to forward peoples attention to nature.

From the late 18th to mid-19th centuries, Romanticism was used to emphasise emotion, nature and individualism, which ended up contrasting strongly with Enlightenment due to Enlightenments focus being more on reason and universalism compared to Romanticisms which was the celebration of the individual and honouring nature.

John Constable

John constable created landscape paintings before they were known as a genre, One of his best pieces named Hay Wain (originally named “noon”) was painted of the River Stour in England. The Canvas used was large compared to typical landscapes at the time, This was part of Constables ‘Six-Footers’ series due to the size of the canvases used. Constables father owned the Flat ford Mill and the house you can see in the background of the landscape belonged to a neighbour Willy Lot who was said to be born in that house. John Constable was always very passionate about his paintings as he tries to paint areas or locations that he knows very well (Hay Wain being one of them) which helped to make his landscapes more meaningful and special. John Constable painted the piece using his memory and not in person with the view in his sight which makes the landscape he created even more impressive. Hay Wain was different to every other landscapes at the time especially with his use of a rough surface which allowed the textures to gain more details which made certain areas in the landscape like the water feel “real” and made the overall image look more realistic compared to other landscapes of that time period.

The Sublime

The Sublime is a feeling associated with strong emotions both positive and negative that are felt in front of nature. For example waterfalls which are typically seen as beautiful but at the same time terrifying with all the rocks protruding out the ground and the cliff which could be dangerous if anything were to ever move/fall at any time.

Edmund Buke defined sublime as an “an artistic effect productive of the strongest emotion the mind is capable of feeling”. Which basically is describing how our minds determine the feelings towards images, for sublime images (specifically landscapes) typically the mind would find the image both pleasing to look at but at the same time fearful of whatever danger could be into play.

J.M.W Turner

J.M.W Turner is a English romantic painter who was a sublime artist, He started making sublime artwork to show his viewers the feelings of awe and wonder that he experienced when tackling the majesty of nature. His paintings (made usually with oil paintings and water colours) often included dramatic scenes, for example some of his work consists of the rough sea with boats sailing creating this amazing view of the sky and the sea but making you feel uneasy with the boats that appear to be on the tipping point of flipping over.

Landscapes is the visible features of an area of land which is often seen for their aesthetic appeal, This can be areas like forests, rivers, cities skylines, mountains and anything that includes a wide view and natural elements can be considered as a Landscape. Landscapes started to become emerged in the western culture with the growth of the natural world which was sparked by the renaissance around in the 16th century. And by the 17th century the classical landscape was introduced, these landscapes were influenced by classical antiquity and were thought to provide an ideal landscape to think of Arcadia which is a legendary place in ancient Greece which is well known for its quiet pastoral beauty.

Landscapes then had a sudden rise in the late 18th century to 19th century, this was because the industrial revolution was starting to alter the traditions of rural life. Which then prompted people to move away from more classic and idealised landscapes and shift their focus into creating landscapes which were more focused on directly nature which is a practice known as plein air painting. This new focus on landscapes ended up revealing a new generation of painters which would introduce their own techniques to landscape paintings.

Landscape Photography was introduced in the 19th century and the earliest known photo taken of a landscape was between the years 1826 and 1827. It was a urban landscape photo taking by a French inventor by the name of Nicephore Niepce who was also the first person to make a permanent photographic image with the camera obscura. This first landscape image would then continue to shape the future of Landscape Photography to what it has now become today where it is now more advanced and more detailed thanks to modern technologies and innovations.

Presentation Ideas

These are my presentation ideas for my edited photos, Some of these photos together with the right ones almost look like they match up together and some of them display nicely next to each other. For instance the third presentation looks like a full building with the rock wall on the right looking like it joins up to the old building on the left image. One of the presentations which is my favourite is the second one as those series of photos together go well nicely and it looks similar to how a panoramic view is laid out as the photos joined together look like they form a long rock wall.

Virtual Gallery Presentation

With Art Steps to put my photos into a virtual gallery. Using this I spread my photographs out nicely and displayed them similarly to how an art gallery would display peoples artwork/images.

My Final Images

These are the final images I have chosen to use and print, these images by themselves already look really good but when joined together it creates a panoramic effect which makes it look even better. For example the right side image and left side image both end up with the rock walls ending while the middle image is where both of those images connect to, resulting into a unique presentation when these images are together side by side.

Evaluation

I feel that the final outcome of my images turned out to be really successful, out of the 200 photos I took I had 80 photos which I felt were up to a good standard and out of those 80 there were 6 that really stood out to me. Using those 6 photos and analysing and then editing them turned out to make these already good photos into even better ones. Resulting into me using 3 out of 6 of those photos as my final images. Those final images when printed will look unique and amazing when presented side by side.

I used the plan that I had set for my photographs which were to take photos similar to Clare Rae’s style while changing it up slightly whether it was the pose of the subject or the background behind her. Most of my images met that plan and helped achieve the effect I wanted in my photographs. Especially with editing which allowed me to change the colour scheme to match Clare Rae’s style and also decide what I wanted in view for my image.

When analysing my images I commented on the Conceptual parts of Clare Rae when referencing her, Often making my subject only reveal parts of her figure on my photographs which Clare Rae did similarly which was done to disturb the traditional representation of the female figure that society sees. I also followed her photography style where she would use different landscapes/areas for her photographs which helped make the images unique but also to make a connection between the person and the place hence why some of my landscapes in the background of the image are quite different and not something you would see ordinarily.

If I had to change or do something differently when I did this project I would of experimented with different environments such as doing a photoshoot in a forest or in town, this could have made a more diverse set of images and could of ended up with me having more unique and good quality images I could of used as my final images.

To enhance my images and make them standout I am going to edit my images in a manner which allows for more detail to pop out and prioritise what I want to be seen in the photograph itself.

Photograph #1

This photograph that I have taken is great as it captures both the detailed landscape with the rock wall as well as my subject attempting to climb it which created a unique posing position for the image. However the image by itself lacks a few things, for one the subject is tucked all the way to the left side of the image which may make it harder to indicate where I want the focus of the image to be set on, the image having colour is not a problem in itself however by setting the image up into a black and white colour scheme it can help minimise details on things like the sky or grass and enhance more details towards the subject and rock wall.

After Editing the image you can now see that it comes across more effective and the main focus is now easier to identify. To reach this point I cropped the image and rotated it slightly in order to make the image more straight and to discard the unimportant details and only keep the details I wanted in view. This allowed me to make my subject take up most of the image so I could use the rule of thirds composition, which helps highlight my subject as the main focus point of my image. To make the subject standout more and enhance more details around the image I decided to make the image black and white and adjust some levels so the subject can standout more, for example in the original image the subjects legs were in a dark area which made it less visible so by using a black and white colour scheme and adjusting the levels I was able to brighten them up and standout against the rock wall. I have also adjusted the levels for the scenery of the image too so I could preserve the detail of the rocks and grass which helps make the image more appealing to look at to the viewers.

Photograph #2

This photograph that I have taken is another image I found that had potential to be great especially when edited. The pose where she’s balancing on the divided rock wall helps add more mystery behind the photograph and the sky in view helps add more life to the image as it helps viewers figure out the type of environment the image was taken in. Edits will have to be done in this image to crop things I don’t want to be seen and rotate it slightly to keep the elements in the image straight. I also want to try and bring more detail into the subject as the lighting from the sun has made her figure appear more darker.

After editing this image you can now see the subject as the main focus of the photo. By cropping the right side and rotating the image to make things straighter it has allowed for a more aesthetically pleasing photo. Cropping also allowed me to use the rule of thirds which helped make my subject the main priority. By making it black and white and adjusting the colour levels it helped brighten the subject up slightly without making her look unnatural which makes her more noticeable and seen in this image. It has also helped to minimise distractions in certain aspects of the photo such as the small patches of different colours embedded in the rocks or the blue sky.

Photograph #3

This photograph is one of my favourites that I have taken. The pose helps hide away some of her figure which makes it hard to depict and make assumptions about her feminine figure. The place used compliments the subject perfectly and has made the image so unique and pleasing to look at. The lighting used as well has also really helped make this image look good as it illuminates the structure clearly revealing the details on the stone but it also illuminated the surface of the subject which when edited will be able to make the subject standout next to the landscape. The image was taken from far away so cropping the image will need to be done to direct the focus towards the subject as well using a black and white colour scheme to bring more depth in certain things and retain the attention towards the subject.

After editing this photo you can now see the subject more clearly which now makes it easy to identify what is the main focus of the image. I’ve also cropped most sides of the image to minimise the size of the structure behind the subject so the attention is not drawn to that first. By using a black and white colour scheme and adjusting the light levels I was able to make the background more brighter and reveal more details, I was also able to make the subject brighter but not too unnaturally bright so more attention can be drawn to the subject and also so I could prevent the subject looking like she was blending in with the rocks. With all edits applied the image looks better than before especially with how its laid out now and what’s now in view.

Photograph #4

With this photograph I was inspired by one of Claude Cahun’s images where she put her arms through the rocks. So I decided to take inspiration but experiment with it differently which ended up with this image as an end result. I found this image quite interesting as by making the subject hold onto the top of the holes in the rock wall it makes it look like she is holding up the top part of the building. The darkness that you can see in the holes of the rocks are perfect as it helps hide the subject entirely with only the arms and hands being visible. By also taking the image closer to the wall and not revealing the sky or the entirety of the building, it helps to attract more focus towards the subject compared to if I were to take the photo further away as then the subject would appear very small compared to the rest of the image. The only issues I see with this photo is the low lighting due to the sunlight not being able to reach into this area and the size of the image which needs to be cropped so the subjects arms and hands are the main priority of the image.

With this photo now edited you are able to see that the subjects arms and hands are more in the centre in the photo which makes it likely that its the first thing you see when you first view the image. Since there were lots of empty space around the image which were mainly the walls of the building, I decided to crop a good amount so attention would be kept to the holes in the wall and my subject. Making the image black and white helped brighten up areas of the subject like her arms so they are more visible to the viewer and also helped gain more level of detail. Using black and white also made it look similar to Claude Cahuns image which was the main inspiration for this photograph.

Photograph #5

With this photo I found that the layout and how it is presented is actually quite clever. Using the same similar style to Clare Rae from her “Entre Nous” collection, I have made the subject look away into the distance while making her figure hidden behind her legs and behind the rock. By posing like this it helps create a mysterious aspect to this image but also follows through with Clare Rae’s motive for her images which is to disturb societies depiction of the typical female figure. So by positioning my subject in this unique way it makes it harder to identify who or what she is. The background used is detailed and appealing which then alongside my subject helps compliment each other and builds a connection between my subject and the place. Due to me taking this photo from far away it will have to be cropped to prioritise the subject instead of the background behind her.

With this photo now edited you are able to see that the subject is more prioritised in the image with her taking up two thirds of the image. I have cropped a large chunk of the background so I could prioritise the subject and remove what I think wasn’t needed to be seen in this image. This final result was a nice outcome as you have that rock wall with the subject posing on it taking roughly one half of the image while the other half is more set on the background of the image and the details and things you can see from a distance. Making this image black and white helped to make the details and brightness of the subject greater. It also helped reduce distraction as the image contains a range of different colours used so by making it black and white it makes the viewer more drawn to the attention to detail and the meaning of the image rather then the colours used around the image. This image now becomes more effective when edited as I was able to choose how I wanted it presented. By also using these edits I was able to replicate Clare Rae’s style which is what I wanted due to her being the inspiration for this photo that I took.

Photograph #6

With this photo I found that the background of rocks would work really well alongside my subject when posing. I have positioned her in a way where some of her figure is hidden away behind her torso or behind her leg, I’ve also made the subject lean against the rock while using her hand as support which made it possible to use her elbow to cover her face which helps to make the image more mysterious to the viewer. The background of the image matches well with my subject helping to build that connection between the person and the place which ends up making the image more effective. This was taken with Clare Rae as my inspiration as I found that one of the images from her ‘Entre Nous’ Collection was very eye catching especially with how it was taken and the ideas used so I wanted to apply some of those principles into my image. To make this image standout more I will need to add a few edits including cropping the image to keep the subject in view and make her the main priority.

With the image now edited we are now able to see the subject more clearly with her taking up a good amount of the photo. I have also cropped out areas of the background I felt were not very important to include or didn’t contribute much towards the image to minimise distractions. I have also used a black and white colour scheme to brighten up the subject as well as making the rocks appear more detailed. Using black and white also helps create more of a dramatic effect across the image which is what I wanted so I could make the image look more mysterious especially with how the face is covered. With this image now edited it is looking a lot better and looks more similar to Clare Rae’s work who was my inspiration for this photograph that I took.

For my Photoshoot I aimed to follow closely to the style of Clare Rae’s photography, In Clare Rae’s photos (The Entre Nous Collection) You can see that she often balances herself and presents herself in weird ways. whether is standing, climbing on rocks or positioning herself in a way where her full body is not always seen in the picture which was done to unsettle the traditional representation of the female figure. To achieve those same results I tried to get my subject to pose herself looking away and hiding some of her figure next to the rocks and old buildings that were around us. As a result it ended up creating a good series of images which looked very appealing to look at. Using a different landscape every 20 to 25 photos I took and posing differently each time made these photos look more appealing and different to each other. The different structures such as the inner rock arch, the giant rock near the edge of the cliff or the old remains of what used to be a building, All of it helped to compliment the subject with the background and build a connection between the subjects figure and the place it was taken at which was one of Clare Rae’s aim when taking her series of photos.

Contact sheet

My Top Choices

I have chosen these images as my top choices because they all utilise different poses and environments which makes them unique to each other, they also all have potential to look better and more effective and eye catching when edited as I will be able to crop what I want in view and highlight certain details by making the image black and white or by adjusting certain settings such as contrast or highlights which will help bring out more detail in the image. With Clare Rae as my artist reference these photos are going to be mostly inspired from her hence why I have tried to get the landscape in clear view along with my subject posing in different and unique positions.

Mood board

Image Ideas

For the images I want to achieve I will be aiming to try find different and unique landscapes which can help make the image standout more alongside the subject. I will be taking most images with a wide aperture to ensure the whole landscape and subject can be viewed clearly. I will also try and attempt to make my subject do various amounts of poses and stand or move in different positions which I believe could produce some interesting photographs, to follow similarly to Clare Rae I will try to get my subject to reveal more of their limbs rather than their head or torso which can be effective in the right environment. I may also want to take close shots to keep as much detail as I can into my images and make it look appealing to the viewer.

Clare Rae is an artist from Melbourne, Australia (b. 1981) who produces photographs and moving images work which explore the representations of the female body using exploration of the physical environment. Rae visited jersey as part of the Arch isle international artist-in-residence programme in 2017. She was interested in the Claude Cahun archive and was researching into it as well shooting new photographs and film in jersey as well as even running workshops. From the research she produced she formed a new body of work called Entre Nous (Between us). The work was produced after being heavily inspired by Claude Cahun and it was even exhibited at the Centre for Contemporary Photography in Melbourne Australia, 22 March – 6 May 2018.

In these series of photos she produced named “Never standing on two feet” she explains that she took Cahuns engagement with the physical and Cultural landscapes of jersey and was inspired to take similar photos. She commented on her work saying that like Cahuns, her photographs depict her body in relation to place with this instance being jerseys costal geography and Jerseys Neolithic ritual monuments. The photographs also include a moving body to contrast and unsettle the traditional representations of the female figure in the landscape.

Clare Rae has always discussed and expressed her interests in artists such as Claude Cahun, Francesca Woodman and Jill Orr. She also talks about how she researches on areas that she’s interested in and takes inspiration from as well how she produces her image and the analysis behind them. With these methods it makes her photography that she takes very interesting to get into.

Visual

In this image we are able to see a self-portrait of Clare Rae where she appears to be gripping on to the rocks for support. She is looking away from the camera but towards the sea to indicate that she is becoming aware of her surroundings. She is posed in a way where most of her torso is hidden and appears to blend in with the rocks. We can also see that she’s wearing a dark coloured skirt and a light coloured top to maybe create some type of contrast. She also appears to be on a rocky hill near the sea to create some connection between her body and the place the photograph is taken at. She also appears to be holding herself up on the rocks and not sitting on them to show that she may be continuing to go further down or across.

Technical

The lighting used in this photo is natural light as it was taken outside. It was most likely taken with the sunlight being projected onto the rocks so the subject would be well illuminated. It also looks like a wide aperture was used due to the amount of detail we are able to see in the image from the ripples of the sea to the shape of the rocks in the hill. The photo may of been taken at a low angle to capture the rocks underneath the subject and show how far down the hill goes. The photo also appears to be a full body shot as her whole body can be see in the image with the exception of her right arm.

Contextual

Clare Rae has great interests in artists such as Claude Cahun, Francesca Woodman and Jill Orr. When coming to jersey and discovering the work of Claude Cahun she decided that she wanted to take inspiration and create her own series of photos inspired from Claude Cahun. Following the same ideas as Claude Cahun where she took her photos to criticise the gender roles of women in the 20s/30s, Clare Rae has taken images with a moving body which unsettles the traditional representations of the female body.

Conceptual

These series of photos that Clare Rae created were to show the public that her work is more invested into the feminist act of self representation compared to Cahuns who used self-portraiture to subvert the dominance of the male gaze in photographic depiction of the female body in landscape photographs. She uses the performing body and gesture in order to disturb the traditional representations of the female figure in landscapes. She used Jerseys costal sites and monuments in order to create a visual dialogue between her body and the environments around her.

Chosen Artist Reference

I have chosen Clare Rae to be my inspiration for my series of photos as I find that the photos that she has taken are intriguing and unique and its something I would like to replicate in my own photos and add on furthermore.

Claude Cahun (25 October 1894 – 8 December 1954) was born in Nantes France, Cahun was best known as a self-portraitist and a writer. At birth Cahun was given the name Lucy Renee Mathilde Schwob by her parents, she later changed this when she was older and she identified herself as gender neutral. The goal of her photographs were to challenge the traditional ideas of gender, sexuality, and identity. To achieve these goals she photographed herself but changing her identity/how she looked which was needed to present her goals and show the criticism she has against the society who follows these traditional ideas. She also often worked with Marcel Moore who often helped take her self portraits.

Cahuns pictures are portrayed in a specific manner in order to make the viewers see that she is dressed and presented in such a way that she can be seen as a rejection of traditional ideas of feminine beauty. The message that her pictures are trying to convey is that society distinguishes people from each other which can be separated into groups like Genders however individuals are the ones who play the role into creating or shaping their own identities based on things they express upon or their understanding on certain things which could be based on personal choices or experiences. Cahun in her portraits shows that gender is something you can act as and the things you do which define what gender you want to be rather than someone you are biologically.

Claude Cahun connection with Jersey started early with childhood holidays which were spent in Jersey and Brittany. By 1937 both Marcel Moore and Claude Cahun decided to move from France to Jersey to live where they took up their old names and letting people assume they were sisters. But by 1940 following the invasion of the Nazis they refused to evacuate to England and remained in jersey where they setup an underground resistance campaign following the Nazis invasion of the island. The campaign lasted 4 years before they both got investigated and got locked up in the St Helier prison where they almost got the death sentence. After Jersey got liberated they remained on the island till 1953 where they decided to check if they could live in Paris once again. However Cahun in late 1954 died in Jersey under hospital care.

Claude Cahun was described as Cindy Sherman before her time. These two artists both explored similar ideas and criticised society for their perception of gender roles and identity. Cindy Sherman started her work in 1977 compared to Claude Cahun who started in 1912, both of their photograph styles are very similar where they change their appearance to portray different roles of people.

Visual

In this image we can see a self-portrait of Claude Cahun posing for the camera, They are posed in such a way that it closely resembles a feminine posture with the crossed legs and straight posture, They’re gaze is also pointed directly at the camera to make that connection with the viewer. They appear to be wearing a long tight shirt with leggings and what appears to be a scarf, the outfit does appear to make her look like a mime especially with the paint/makeup applied to her face. They also appear to be holding something that looks similar to a barbell which is labelled “Totor popol” and the other side of it appears to have “Castor” Written on it. The writing Totor popol may be a reference to the two comic characters by the Belgian cartoonist Herge, Castor and Pollux is a older reference to the twin half-brothers of the Greek myth whose names grace the two brightest stars in the Gemini constellation. The sign on her chest says “I am in training, Dont kiss me” and this could be in relation to the fact that she had styled herself to look as a mime which makes it so the writing in her chest is her communicating with the public as mimes typically cannot speak with their voice.

Technical

The lighting that Claude Cahun appeared to have used is artificial light as the setting they are in suggests that she’s in a studio environment which makes it easier for the subject to be illuminated easier especially with the angle you want the light to go towards. It also looks like a Wide Aperture may of been used in order to capture all the details in the picture from the details on her face to the writing on the barbell and their chest. The angle this photo may of been taken at is straight on/dead centre as the camera may be on a tripod to shoot the picture on the centre to ensure that Claude Cahun would be the main priority of the photo. The photo is closer to a 3/4 body shot as her body is mostly shown except from the knees down.

Contextual

The roles of women in the 1920s and 1930s were typically working as clerks, teachers and nurses while others were expected to stay home and raise children and make sure the house was maintained and cleaned. Women back then were not really seen as strong or being able to be independent in the eyes of society. With Claude Cahuns image it was taken to criticise societies view and the stereotypes made against women which suggests why she may have the barbell in view to challenge societies view of the strength of women.

Conceptual

Claude Cahuns work made the role of women/gender in the 20s and 30s appear that it was more of a lifestyle that anyone can adapt from rather than someone you are from birth. Her work protested these gender and sexual norms and showed people that they do not need to follow these norms that society expects them to follow. With the feminine pose as well as the barbell she has laid on her lap, she is trying to convey the message that women can do anything that men can do and that your gender or your background shouldn’t prevent you from doing things that you would like to do.

Cindy Sherman was born in January 19, 1954 in the United States, She was part of the Pictures generation photography movement whose purpose was to make art that analysed their relationship with popular culture and the mass media. She worked at the intersection of personal and collective memory section where she rummaged through the throwaway products from their youth.

Before she became a photographer she at first experimented painting in a super-realist style in art school during the aftermath of American Feminism. She then in the 1970s decided to turn to photography to explore a wide range of common female social roles.

Her key goals of her photography is that she wanted her work to be characterised by her use of self-portraiture to create fictional characters and to explore themes such as identity, representation and the construction of femininity.

To achieve her goals she would typically take photographs of herself in a range of different costumes to portray the common roles of women, the way society portrayed women as back then. And she would then take the photos by herself in her studio assuming multiple roles such as an author, director, make-up artist, hairstylist, wardrobe mistress, and model.

Cindy Sherman herself does not consider her work to be self-portraits as she took the pictures while wearing a costume/being in character but she does acknowledge that technically in the photo wearing the costumes is her but in her opinion she does not agree that her photos are a self portrait.

Cindy Sherman Image Analysis

Visual

The character that Sherman is adopting may be a women in her home who is not very comfortable and may be stressed, to back up my claim you can see on the right side of the dresser the picture frame of her, you can also see the positioning of her hand where on hand is comforting her neck like she is holding it up and on the other hand it looks like she’s holding a weapon especially with the angle that she’s holding it at. The mirror on the wall reveals her back which can suggest that she is vulnerable and we also get to see a table with a cocktail glass and a jacket on the chair which could be hers or it could be someone else’s, and in the top left corner you can notice smoke which could suggest somebody else is in her home.

From all the things we can see in this image and the title being called an “Untitled Film Still” this may be trying to portray the typical women in distress that are often seen in movies and this photo was most likely created to criticise the media and their depiction of females.

Technical

The photo could be using a wide focus aperture as all the details in the foreground are clear and easy to see, the photo could of also used a slightly fast shutter speed as the subject doesn’t appear blurry and the photo also has a lot of light coming in. The angle of the photo is quite high to show her full body so we can have more of an idea of her character but also be able to view the things around the room which helps you immersive yourself in her environment. The photo is a full body shot as well as this helps to get a full view and understanding of her character.

Contextual

Back in 1978 where the picture was taken, women were perceived as house wife’s, being weak, couldn’t fight for themselves and struggling to be independent in society. The photo she has taken takes these ideas and she portrays them to criticise the media with how they used this perception of women that society saw back in the day and how they integrated those stereotypes into their films, hence why these series of photos she took were named “untitled film stills”. This photo is meant to show that women can fight for themselves and that the stereotypes that were used and seen were not accurate.

Conceptual

Seeing that the photo is not a housewife but instead Sherman herself who is posing, it gives us the idea that Sherman is the one directly calling the media out as she was the one who took and posed for her photos. She may have done this to show the mass media that she’s aware of what happens in the media and how females are presented in those films, and criticises how they always make females look so vulnerable. This could link to the media today as there is still many movies and different types of media which still show women playing the same stereotypes from decades ago, However it is less common now then it used to be back in the 1970s.

Identity is the unique set of characteristics that are used to describe and identify the person themselves. Identity is not just based off looks but also their personality, views, interests and what they do in their life in general. Having an identity is important as you can identify yourself as a person and it can also help you connect with people who may have similar interests as you.

Femininity is the characteristics, attributes, behaviours and anything related that is generally associated with women and girls. For example this is things like long hair, wearing pink, having long nails or they’re moods and personality. It is basically a typical representation and picture of how women and girls are seen.

Masculinity is the same but with characteristics of men and boys. This can be things like being strong, independence, confidence and taking interest in things like football and cars. Its the typical representation and picture of how men and boys are seen.

Identity can be influenced by lots of things like for example:

Gender identity is the identification of someone’s gender and how they perceive themselves. People may identify themselves as someone different and differ themselves to how society would perceive them as.

Culture identity is a part of a persons identity and is usually related to their race, culture, nationality and religion. For example stating your nationality would be identifying your culture identity.

Social identity is the group in society that you identify as, for example people born in 1997 – 2012 would be identified as gen z as they were born in that specific span of a few years. So if they’re gen z they would be seen in the gen z group of society.

Geographical identity is the identification of a person based in the country/area they live in, for example lets say you were born in Texas and raised there for a majority of your life you may refer to yourself as a Texan to other people.

Political identity is where people define and engage their beliefs in relation to the political system, movements and policies. There beliefs typically come from personal beliefs, cultural influences or experiences with governance and power dynamics.

Lack/loss of identity is where someone experiences confusion or absence of their identity. By having a lack or loss of identity it can affect a persons personal, social, cultural or political parts of their life and often leading them feeling disconnected with other people.

Stereotypes is assumptions or generalized beliefs made based by a persons characteristics such as their race, gender, age, religion, profession, nationality and other traits. These beliefs are often exaggerated and inaccurate and can lead to certain biases in how people see and interact with others.

Prejudices is a opinion or judgement made on someone without any reason, experience or evidence. This often involves negative attitudes, feelings or beliefs about people based on their particular group, such as gender, religion, race, ethnicity.