A clear memory I have from my
childhood is watching my mom do her makeup every day. She took at least an hour
and referred to it as ‘fixing her face.’ At the time I thought nothing of it. But
now, looking back, I find myself asking, what was wrong with her face? Why did
it need to be fixed? So, for this photo I took inspiration from lived
experience.
In
this image is a woman, a mother, getting ready for the day. Preening and
surrounded by makeup and mirrors to ensure she looks her absolute best when she
leaves her bedroom. The photo is taken from an upward angle as if from the view
of a child, her daughter. The pink tint given to the image expresses the
feminine essence placed on the image, given that pink is categorized as a girl
color. It also plays on the expression “rose colored glasses”, meaning
everything the little girl is watching her mother do is viewed in a positive
light, idolized even. Her daughter is learning the requirements of being a
woman from a young age. In The “Two Cultures” of Childhood it’s expressed
that “According to gender schema theory, children learn gender schemas from
their social environments” (Rudman
et al. 59). A huge part of many developing children’s social environments is
their parents.
These
schemas follow children throughout the rest of their lives, “schemas represent
‘knowledge structures’ that guide how people perceive and organize the world as
well as how to behave towards others” (Rudman et al. 59). The stacks of makeup
and the multiple mirrors are all meant to symbolize the pressure of beauty
standards women face on a daily basis. The way the mother looks in the mirror,
at herself rather than in the eye of the camera, shows a subdued demeanor, more
focused on analyzing her appearance than anything else, which is similar to the
‘girl culture’ Lauren Greenfield depicts in her own photo series. All of these
seemingly insignificant details amass into a rather transparent message sent to
young girls everyday: beauty is everything.
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.
1 comment:
From: Madison
I love this photo! I can also relate to the memory you have of watching your mother put on her make up. I think that so many young girls share this same experience which is what makes "fixing our faces" so normal to us, because it was introduced to us at such a young age. Young girls idolize their mothers and believe that "mother knows best" which leads them to never question their mother’s daily routine, instead they will most likely acquire the same routine themselves. Personally, I think that the creative techniques that stood out to me the most where photo angle and gaze. The photo angle represents a child's perspective and, like I implied before, young children (girls in particular) looking up to their mother and in this case the child is quite literally "looking up" at the mother. I think that gaze was also very significant in this piece because she is very focused on her appearance and is captivated by her reflection. There are two mirrors, the one closest to her is there to make sure that she doesn't miss a spot and has every detail of her makeup perfect. You can also see her hair supplies on the counter, which is a reminder that beauty isn't just about her make up, it also involves hair, clothes, etc. The spray bottles are full of chemicals that women have to spray in their hair in order to achieve their desired style (I'm sure that those chemicals are somewhat harmful for us to spray near our faces and inhale, yet we do it anyway). I think this photo was very well thought out and executed. The points where made clear and the photo was a great representation of everything discussed in the essay.
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