Only Five

From: Erin J

I chose this picture because it foreshadows the things she will face when she grows up. I chose this one because she her hat covers her face and that makes it more representative of all girls, not just one. At age five, there is some independence in what a little girl wears. However, for the most part, her mom still picks out her outfits. So, regardless of who picked out her outfit, in this photo she is wearing pink. Her hat, even though it is a “gender-neutral” color, is feminized by placing flowers on it. I picked this picture because, like Lauren Greenfield’s anorexic patient, the shadows represent the distorted image she may have of herself when she becomes of age. Her shoes being white symbolize her innocence, but the whole of the picture symbolizes her meeting “gender labels as social demands” (Crawford and Unger 193). She is crouched down picking up bird seed, but it foreshadows her picking up after a husband and children, and the stroller is a symbol of that, too. In additional, feeding the birds also characterizes her as a nurturer even at the age of five. Because she is crouched down, it may seem to others that she is on the bottom of the hierarchy of the sexes, below her male counterparts. This picture is best as a close up because even though at first glance it is only a little girl, there is so much hidden.