Bikini Season

From: Jasmine
“Bikini Season” is my way of showing the nature of society’s expectation on women’s beauty. In this photo, I have a picture of a girl standing in front of a wall of swimsuits. I chose to have her stand in front of swimsuits, because there are so many societal expectations that come with swimsuits alone. It is expected that she would naturally want to show skin, and could be judged if she chose to wear a one piece or some sort of cover up. Some women aren’t comfortable with showing skin at the beach or pool in front of strangers, yet most of the swimsuits sold for girls her age are quite revealing. The swimsuits also represent how comfortable a woman is with her body. This picture is related to the subunit of “Ambivalence towards Sex and Women’s Bodies”. Heterosexual men enjoy looking at women’s bodies in swimsuits, but wouldn’t take her seriously if she chose to show more or less skin than they expect or want. If she goes with the one piece does that mean she is insecure? If she wears a bikini does it mean she wants male attention and is trying to show off? Swimsuits are meant to be practical clothing for swimming yet can symbolize so much in society. The girl is not the main part of the picture and does not take up most of the space. This is because I wanted to show how little control she has over what is acceptable. As a girl in society, there are so many restrictions and expectations that she really has no control. These expectations can make girls feel so small, and that is represented by the girl’s small size compared to the wall of clothing.  The black and white effect shows that in popular mainstream fashion there really isn’t a lot of room for personal freedom of expression. Yes, there are swimsuits in different colors and styles but the swimsuits have all been chosen because the company thought that these prints and colors would be the most successful and popular. As a young woman in society, every aspect of life comes with its own pressure and societal expectations.