This picture is a perfect example of gender socialization. Where is the father baby comfort station? What about a family comfort station? I have been working at this mall for years and for as long as I can remember there has been a changing station in the ladies restroom. This sign is the only sign down the hall to the restroom . The sign I just happen to come upon at the mall one afternoon made me think, how many women look at that sign and think “wow I’m really glad they have one here”, or even pay any attention to it. I decided to put the sign off to the side of the picture because I feel that most people who walk by the sign just assume that there will be one in the ladies room, or they might even wonder who really needs to be told something that is assumed. I took the color out of the picture to suggest that maybe a long time ago this may be something that should be advertised. I feel like as a society we should be past this gender socializing and if anything we should be sending some sort of positive message to fathers or male role models. A sign like this might even discourage a male to tend to a child in the sense that it just furthers the stereotypes of male and female roles with children. I had not planned on this being my topic but when I seen the sign in a very crowded mall that thousands of people visit each week, I couldn’t help but think what is the real purpose of this sign. Since the sign was stationary I didn’t have too much room to work with lines but I did want to show that there were no other signs down the hallway for dads or families. I did try to get the lines as straight as possible in the background to signify that this is part of normal everyday life.
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Gendering of socialization is an expectation placed on each sex with roles they must abide by. How is this demonstrated in society today? In this photo society's view on father child care is exposed. The photo is at a eye level, proclaiming how society today beholds gendered rules. The poster positioned in the left foreground is the starting point of the photo (because literature is read left to right, art is often preserved in the same format). The poster that reads "Mother Baby Comfort Station" represents a powerful impact of society's views. The poster does not claim mother and father baby comfort station or even a family comfort station. What would to happen if a father caring for his child came to this restroom? With these barricades in public accommodations there is no questioning as to why the mother is most often seen caring for her young baby. It is purely easier for mothers to carry out such activities due to society's influence of gendering. Due to the lack of saturation in this picture there is a sense of oldness, something from the past as if a change has occurred since, or should occur. Further viewing of this photo leads to a line which consists of a bend. This bend is symbolic of change that can be rendered on this topic. There also, is no vanishing point in the photo which leads the viewer to believe the problem is not solved yet, or the finished product is not even in sight. Most importantly, on the right side in the wall there is a reflection casted of the poster, this is a foreshadowing of a second poster appearing for fathers. The Gendering of socialization is pushing each sex into different activities, making it difficult for those who deviate from the norm.
Fathers taking their children to the bathroom to change them is something that most people dont even think about. The black and white coloring is significant because fathers are left in the dark when it comes to helping them out with changing rooms in the bathroom.
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