Package Deal

From: Raelynn

The photo’s main focus is on social expectations and how they develop a variety of roles, with some more dominant than others. It focuses primarily on women's roles by introducing how many more roles they assume compared to men.

The background of the photograph is just as key as the primary components. It is meant to convey a ceremonious atmosphere and the idea of ignorance via the blurred candles and darkness. Everyday young women undergo subconscious rituals in their relationships and through the media's portrayal of women. Growing up, they are initiated into womanhood when they understand what is expected of them, otherwise they are ridiculed.

The angle at which the picture is taken also contributes by acting as a scale. The slippers and flats (that symbolize housework and work that doesn't require closed-toed shoes) weigh heavily on one side, whereas the work boots (which symbolize a step up to masculinity) aren't as prominent or affiliated to women, hence their less organized placement.

Although there are so many more things I would like to discuss about the photo, I would like to end on identifying the candles above the work boots; one is dark and tall, the other is white and used. I wanted them to symbolize deviance: the white candle represents the expectations and traditions of society, as opposed to, the darker candle representing stigmas and opposition to feminine gender roles. It is apparent that women follow traditional norms more than they want to believe. Most of the time they display benevolent sexism (which is just as objectifying and oppressing as hostile sexism) thus they are “burning the white candle” more than they are diverging from society.