Brian (on the left) who is five years old and Enejah (on the right) who is three were both told to smile for the camera. Right off the back, Enejah smiled and Brian gave a noticeably different expression almost as if he were imitating a monster or his favorite action figure. Little boys are smiling less and less in pictures unless they are instructed to do so. This trend is being picked up from the media, as well as male figures in the boys lives. As young boys grow to teenagers, they notice smiling in pictures are no longer "cool" and may even be considered "soft" for doing so. Young girls on the other hand are always smiling whether they;re posing for a picture or not, and continue to do so throughout their entire lives. This may be one of the reasons females are considered more friendly than males. The spacing in between Brian and Enejah distinguishes boy from girl, violence from innocence. The content of the pictures background represents chaos. The items aren't arranged in any type of order and are all over the place. This is how things appear to young children when the process of learning theiridentity/gender begins. They only know what they're being taught, which does not allow them to be who they are. They do not understand why they're able to do, wear, and play some things and not others. They wont understand this until they're older, and even then things may remain unclear to them. The picture is taken in the living room of a house. This is a place where children spend a lot of their time playing with toys, as well as watching television which can both have an effect on their behavior. The carpet in the living room is green. This color signifies growth and environment. These two meanings go hand in hand. The way girls and boys grow in their gender has everything to do with their environment, and more so the people in it. The way I took this picture fully describes the message I was trying to get across and displays the socialization of gender in children.
1 comment:
As I look at this picture, I notice the girl smiling; her hair is perfectly set into barrettes and in a style. She has her ears pierced with, my opinion hoops that are pretty big for such young child. The girl pleases the person taking the picture, many girls tend to act in such a way as to please their elders. The boy in the picture is being himself. He looks like any boy who is asked to stand still and smile, he wants to make people laugh reflecting the silliness of young boys. Girls, on the other hand, are made to grow up faster than boys. It is acceptable for boys to play around or make jokes. However, when girls do, it is not considered lady like. It seems to me the boy is better adjusted, comfortable in his own skin, and uninfluenced by people, as opposed to the girl who want to please people. The background in the picture represents the inside chaos and struggles these children face with who they are and who they will become. Normally, close friends and family are the only people who see the internal chaos of a house. In the same way, the chaos and struggle of these children’s identity is covered by their outward appearance. The green carpet to me represents a sign of the times. This type of green carpet was a big color in the late 1970 and early 1980’s. Here it represents a time for change - a time to let kids be kids, let kids be how they want to be. As a society, we need to change with the times and learn that girls and boys can do the same things. We really need to let the child within express themselves without fear of criticism. We need to learn from the past and put that learning into today’s society.
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