Makeup Mayhem

from Laura:

The socialization of gender in children I believe is hugely affected by toys. At an early age, children begin to mimic adult roles. Girls are typically "associated with domestic tasks (a toy vacuum cleaner and kitchen center); beauty enhancers (such as a makeup kit and jewelry) and items useful for child care (a cradle, stroller, and dollhouse)." (Women and Gender, 195) The picture I have taken depicts almost all of these stereotypes.

In a way, the picture seems to tell a story. Here we can see the two girls (Laci left, Brinkley right) are surrounded by a mass of pink and purple toys as they apply makeup to one another. This is the typical stereotype for girls. However, there may be more to the story then just this. The open door to the right can suggest that the girls should be playing outside on the jungle gym (this type of toy being more associated with boys).

When setting up this photo, I opted for a lower view instead of standing up and taking the picture. I wanted the angle to be the same height of that of a child. I also took into account the lines from the tiles on the floor. All of the lines form a linear perspective. They all lead towards the girls in the center of the photo. This allows the viewer to be instantly drawn to them. After deciding on this photo, I
went ahead and used Photoshop to change the contrast. I wanted to make the colors in the photo more exaggerated then they really were. The pinks and purples in the background pop a bit more as well as Laci's makeup. This was done to draw more attention to the more stereotypical aspects of the picture.

When I asked permission from the girl's parents, I also asked if they had any ideas for the assignment. It was their mother who suggested pulling out their makeup kit that was reserved only for "special occasions" since the result was usually a huge mess. It was funny because their father absolutely cringed when she brought it out. To quote Mr. Danny, "I wish you girls wouldn't play with that stuff. You don't need it. You are beautiful just the way you are, just being natural."