From: Alex
From the day a girl is born she is expected
to act, play, dress and just “be” a certain way. As a toddler, most little
girls play with baby dolls and practice how to be nurturing mothers. On the
other hand, the most popular toy a little girl might play with is a Barbie doll
(or Bratz, Polly Pocket, etc.). Barbies emphasize the expression of beauty,
fashion, and self-image. When a little girl plays with Barbies she might dress
her up in different cute clothing, play house with her, or even cut her hair
(most parents do not support this). They made different kind of Barbies
including: Dr. Barbie, Cooking Barbie, Election Barbie, Work Out Barbie and
even McDonald’s worker Barbie. Every single Barbie does it all with glamour. In Laurie Rudman’s “The Two
Cultures” of Childhood she explains that Barbies are, “miniaturized human
figures girls play with. . . [Barbie] represents feminine ideals and encourage
such activities as pretend shopping, grooming, and accessorizing (Rudman 2015).
To continue, “forms of role-playing reinforce traditionally gendered adult
roles and the enactment of stereotypically feminine traits among girls
(gentleness, nurturance, warmth)” (Rudman 2015). Barbie play is just a good
example of how the emphasis of beauty and beauty norms are exposed to girls at
a young age and how it shapes their personalities as they grow older.
I connected Barbie play with teenage (or in
my sister’s case “tweenage”) beauty norms because at an early on stage of life
girls are exposed to being obsessed with their self-image and beauty. Another
thing I have noticed as years pass is the pressure to be “pretty” and wear
makeup has come at a quicker age. For me personally, I didn’t wear makeup until
9th grade. My little sister, Sydney (who is pictured), is 12 years
old and is already wearing makeup to school. She has come home and complained
about boys making comments of her “butt not being big enough” or her being
“flat chested” when compared to some of her friends. The pressure to be a
certain kind of beauty has created more insecurities for her even at a younger
age.
I chose to place Sydney’s gaze in the
mirror where I am picturing her from behind to show her everyday life of looking
in the mirror and deciding what to do with her appearance. Is she going to do
her makeup today? Is she going to straighten her already straight hair? What
outfit did she pick out the night before school? Is she staying hip to all the
style trends and fads? All of these things she does to enhance her appearance
increases her chances to fit in and exceed the beauty norms set up in our society.
Her face is perfectly framed and centered inside the mirror to emphasize the
importance of looking in the mirror every day and making sure she looks
“perfect”.
To depict symbolism, I chose to cover Sydney’s
mouth with duct tape as she in applying her makeup. Literally speaking, the
duct tape is taped it other mouth which means she cannot move her mouth to
speak. What I actually mean by it is that at her age she does not have much say
in engaging in beauty norms, such as doing her makeup before school, if she
wants to fit in with her girl culture. If she puts in more effort into her
appearance she is more likely to have a better self-image and gain popularity.
Of, course, she can choose to not give into the beauty norms but she would be
more likely to have the consequence of being rejected by her fellow peers, both
male and female.
In the picture, the color that is accentuated
is blue. Blue is usually used to describe a depressed or solemn mood. It is
likely that Sydney will develop insecurities as a consequence to beauty norms
and how much she can physically participate in them. It is possible that she
may not feel as if she is “enough” or “more of this” and most younger girls
struggle with depression and eating disorders because of what beauty “should”
entail. Of course, I hope she does not struggle through those feelings, but the
reality is, most younger girls go through this period of self-doubt because of
the beauty pressure. Not only does blue stand for depression but in gender
norms blue would depict boy culture. As a younger girl, she thinks that doing
her makeup and participating in beauty norms would impress the boys around her
and makes her more desirable. Boys also do not have the same pressure as girls
to look a certain way in order to be “more handsome”, especially at this age.
Works Cited
Rudman, Laurie A., et al. "The Two Cultures of
Childhood." The Social Psychology of
Gender: How Power and Intimacy Shape Gender Relations.
The Guilford Press,
2015, 59-63.
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