Is she dressing herself?

from Jessica:

Messages can be conveyed to people in a variety of different ways including verbal language, novels, pomes, plays, movies, and pictures. However, I feel the method that one may use impacts how the audience interprets the message that is being presented. For example, the writings of Walt Whitman, a transcendentalist, who is most famous for his book " Leaves of Grass" could not have demonstrated its message any better then it does with his unique use of figurative language. Whitman's use of alliteration, caesura, metaphor, and allegory derives meaning from within. Hence, a picture method can also convey and present a powerful message to an audience like the writings of Whitman. In this picture, I feel this particular circumstance demonstrates one way gender socialization can affect young girls . In my eyes, I feel this picture method captures the point I'm makeing below to the fullest extent.

A picture is worth a thousand words and the elements within it can be analyzed for further symbolic meaning. For example, I took this picture of the girl in the yellow men's hardhat in a party store in Annapolis. I was searching for the perfect picture to take that day which would convey my thoughts on young girls development. At first, I thought the girl was just messing around with merchandise in the store. With my outgoing personally, I was able to talk with Lauren and tell her about
our photo Blog assignment. Digging deeper, I asked 13 year old Lauren why she was trying on that hardhat as if she was dressing up to perform another role. She said "I am trying to see why my mom and dad fight. She also said " my dad yells at my mom and says she couldn't handle the hard work he does everyday." After Lauren told me she thought her mom, Judy, could handle working , I felt bad for her in regards to the environment she apparently had to grow up in where her mother, a women, was constantly being downgraded. Then, I asked myself, what is this going to do to her self conception and socialization as a young lady later in her life?

Gender socializations happens to individuals without them even realizing it sometimes. Movies, music, magazines, friends, and family all contribute to "dressing up" an individual. I feel this photograph is very metaphoric, for instance, when looking at the picture, I see an aura of happiness that surrounds this beautiful girl on the outside. Her white teeth illuminate her big beautiful smile and her white shirt projects her dirty blonde curly hair to the viewer. Also, if I was just looking at the picture, I can tell she is in some type of party store which implies some type of upcoming party. The angel that the image was snapped at shows the busy background of the party store which provokes happiness to the picture as well and makes her the main focal point in the photograph. Is she really happy or does she just have on a different outfit? I took this picture from a variety of different angles and I liked this one the best because of how she is standing in the vertical aisle. The vertical aisle creates an imaginary axis line making her the main focal point to the viewer. In fact, it enables you to better comprehend the powerful message of how Lauren is being "dressed up" and socialized through her female gender by her parents. Is she really "dressing" herself?

Although you may look at this picture a see a happy girl, I cant get those words she spoke out of my head. I see a girl that is and most likely will be torn between gender roles because of her home life. Hence, subconsciously the voice of her father is affecting her socialization as a young lady. Their forward, most likely she wouldn't have been trying on the hardhat or associating it with her "hard working" father. In addition, how children are nurtured by their parents affects their cognitive processing along with many other aspects. Cognitively, I feel Lauren will "dress" into the traditional "female" role. She may be more afraid to step out of the "female box" that her father placed her in subconsciously and explore other aspects of life that may lean more towards masculinity. On the opposite extreme, her father's negativity towards Lauren's mother may not affect her at all. Do you really believe this?

In short, you can't just look at something for what it appears to be, I feel you have to deconstruct all the possible meanings that may arise from individual details or elements that the image may or may not possess. You have to change around shirts and pants and maybe add some accessories in their to figure out the underlying truth. In conclusion, even though she looks mature for 13 years old, I feel know child should have to worry about their parent's problems growing up. Although her parents may not realize how they are affecting an aspect of their daughter's socialization, I feel it's projected in this situation and is taking place in other families like Laurens as well. Do you really "dress" yourself?