The Choice‏

from: Brittany

“By the time women reach college age, they have been duly ‘educated in romance’ (Holland & Eisenhart, 1990)(220)”. This photo represents the glass slipper effect. It symbolizes how women are willing to give up their aspirations and pursue other things in order to increase their chance of getting a man, or their so-called “prince charming.”

In the photo, you see the floor, and a brick step followed by a brick wall. On the floor are things such as school awards, a textbook, sports awards, and video games. On the brick step you see things such as a Coach purse, a Cosmo Magazine, a make-up bag, glass slippers, high heels, and a straightener. On the brick wall behind all of the stereotypical feminine products and hobbies is a piece of floral cloth that is covering some of the brick wall.

The photo was set up in a way that makes it so all of my personal aspirations and hobbies are on the floor, below all of the stereotypical feminine things. This symbolizes how our society puts certain behaviors above others. Little girls are encouraged to put aside their goals and career aspirations to act and behave in a way that will get them a man and a husband. This causes women to wait for their “prince charming” to come save them as opposed to pursuing self-fulfillment through their life goals. “As a result, women who have absorbed gendered romantic scripts may hobble their own ambitions and aspirations, putting their faith in romance (221).” The brick wall symbolizes how these dainty behaviors create a sturdy border/barrier for women. Because society supports these certain values, it creates a strong barrier for women that can lead to negative stereotypical views about them. However, there is a difference in color among the two groups of objects. The objects that symbolize goals and aspirations are in color to symbolize how rich and important these values are, even though they are put below the things that symbolize generic femininity. The objects on top are in black and white to symbolize emptiness in what these values mean. Our society values them deeply, but for self-fulfillment and a development of a unique personality, they are absolutely meaningless and do not represent the individual. The floral cloth on the brick wall symbolizes how this barrier is almost covered up, and swept under the rug. Even though the floral cloth symbolizes something pretty and feminine, it is metaphorically trying the hide the barrier that women put themselves in when they take part in the glass slipper effect. The frame around this picture is blurry to symbolize the fact that women look at this metaphorical “choice” with a biased view. Because women have been influenced by society in such a way, it becomes unclear which route is the right one to take.

Work Cited

Rudman, Laurie A. and Peter Glick. The Social Psychology of Gender. New York: The Guilford Press, 2008. Print.