In Lauren Greenfield’s photo essay, we used distinct definitions of descriptive words to extract the meaning out of her photos. In my photo, I chose to use a white background because it signifies the purity of a fresh life, a new being without belonging. The background not only provides emphasis on the color of the photo, but it also provides emphasis on the naked being in the foreground. I brightened the colors of the picture to highlight skin tone and articles of clothing. My photo, I consider relevant to the expression of gender socialization because of the role that parents take on as socializing agents. In this photo, I position myself as the maternal parent personifying both male and female roles. The significance of this personification as a parent is I am obligated to teach my newborn his or her role of gender according to their sex. Societal perceptions are then capable of recognizing my child as either a boy or girl and my child is also capable of relating to those values of society based on his gender and not just sexuality.
The articles of clothing I chose to wear as a male include loose fitting clothing that is non-revealing; I posed a straight face to provide emphasis on the dominance of the male figure. I also included props of a military hat, tennis balls, and a racket to portray a sports figure. As a female figure, I wore a lingerie piece and heels to signify a sexual motive and then an apron, showing my relationship to household duties. My hair, make-up and adjustment to skin tone suggests that not only a perception of a beautiful woman is to society, but also one who is insecure. Props included in the female side include flowers, a bear and high heels. These all show the importance of emotionality and the protection of imagery that women withhold. The parents play a detrimental role in establishing gender socialization. These are key attributes that are used when categorizing the gender of a fresh newborn.
2 comments:
I like that stereotypical images of both males and females were used to represent the affects society have on children from a young age. Yet the images could also represent the choices one has to make while growing up. This is because there is only one person in the photo who is shown in two different fashions. The male image is almost centered, with the female image positioned behind it and slightly hidden. This could be to represent that the male image is more dominant in today’s society but it might make more sense if the female image was in the foreground to show which image of a female is more acceptable in today’s society. Though we have many choices, it is more likely for a girl to be stereotypically ‘feminine’.
In the photo, “Who I Am” it shows how people are affected by gender roles. She used parental roles to depict how they are supposed to be and what parents are supposed to teach their children. She used lingerie, an apron, and a stuffed animal to show how the mothers and women are supposed to be sexy for men, maternal, and domestic. The “male” type figure is shows in a blue button down shirt, jeans, and sports equipment. This is a clear depiction of male masculine gender roles. This picture used to two figures to show the opposite gender roles and how it is demonstrated everyday to their children.
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