from: Maureen
In society today, young girls are taught specific gender roles at such a young age. They are exposed to so many different sources including family, religion, school, social media, and magazines, which explain how women should look and act. These sources show how children learn the codes of gender. There are also established social relationships and expectations between both males and females.
The image here portrays a girl, age three, looking at a magazine meant for young adults. The girl is wearing pink, a color that girls are associated with and dressed in beginning at birth. This is one of the most evident gender differences between males and females beginning at such a young age. The magazine is upside down to show that this child is so young that she cannot even read. The significance of this shows that social media and other sources have taken over so much of everyday life, that even such young children are becoming exposed and affected by all of it. It seems as if the ages affected become younger and younger with each generation. The magazine is of a beautiful young woman with revealing clothing and striking a pose which suggests that women should look like this in order to be attractive. The magazine is the main focus because it shows that society’s standards make body image more important than what is on the inside of women. This image shows an example of the many young girls who are exposed to these gender roles which shape society today and start at such a young age.
4 comments:
This photo was the first one that really caught my eye. I think the main thing that caught my attention was the fact that the main subject is a little girl who is so young, and the fact that the magazine is upside down. This speaks volumes to the fact that the age in which young girls are starting to give into/learn about beauty standards is getting younger and younger. This photo gives such a sad meaning, because of the fact that the little girl wants to read about beauty standards and can’t even read yet. This photo definitely got it right.
To me this photo exposed multiple things in our culture today that has been impacting young women in our society. From a young age we are expected to uphold certain attributes of ourselves based on our gender. What calls any viewers attention the most is that this image’s focal point happens to be of a toddler holding a Cosmopolitan magazine that is held upside down. The message that comes across is not only of society and our culture pushing beauty standards, but also going to the extremes of enforcing it at such a young age. I think the meaning of the magazine being upside down is to exhibit how “beauty” standards are being pressed into the minds of such young individuals, and engraving this concept of how beauty should look.
In this photo the first thing that I notice is that the little girl is front and center in the photo, and she actually looks like she could be reading/looking at the magazine. Then you take in that she of course is too young to read and it is obviously upside down. We all know that she can not read it, but it speaks loudly that we start to absorb that kind of media, even from a young age as that, like that the little girl is wearing a pink shirt. I also think that with her holding the magazine like that it gives the illusion that she is older than she really is. It seems like media teaches children that they should look and act older to fit in.
My favorite thing about this is that the magazine is upside down. It really shows how children, especially young girls, are exposed to things like this, like beauty standards, at such young ages. They are exposed to it and absorb it, yet they do not understand it. At all, usually. That is symbolized by the upside down magazine. She is too young to even know what beauty standards are, and how toxic they can be.
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