From: Jennifer
The photo essay, Girl Culture by Lauren Greenfield was very impactful to me. Girls grow up in a society where they are sexualized, forced to grow up too early, judged, and have very strict and high standards for their appearance (Greenfield). Every day, I go out and feel obligated to do my makeup and put on a cute outfit for me to feel pretty. I hate myself some days because I have acne or I feel fat but having acne is completely normal and not fitting into society's very thin standards is also normal. Although I am aware of how absurd and unfair societies standards are, I can’t help but continue to try to fit into them. I remember straightening my hair and doing my makeup along to a YouTube video in order for me to feel pretty and valid when I was younger. Nowadays, I watch my sister do the same. To this day, I will work out every day, not to be healthy but to look thinner. I dye my hair blonde every couple of months because society favors blondes over brunettes. This starts at a very early age. I was 11 trying to change myself to fit into society's mold but society starts putting these thoughts into our mind at a much earlier age. In The "Two Cultures" of Childhood, the author points out that children have different activities and toys that they play with based on their gender (Rudman Et Al., 2015, p.60). Boys play with Legos, action figures, and toy guns meanwhile girls play with barbies, dolls, and make-up kits (Rudman Et Al., 2015, p.60). Boys are encouraged to be aggressive and to use their imagination but girls are encouraged to groom and accessorize (Rudman Et Al., 2015, p.60).
My image shows a 12-year-old girl sitting in the corner of a room. She is sitting in front of her laptop with her head in her hands and makeup right next to her. The five individual techniques that I used to create this picture are taking up space, line, camera angle, face, and symbolism. I used the taking up space technique by placing my model in the corner of the room because I wanted the viewer to see her literally backed into a corner. I wanted to show that she feels as if she is obligated to fit into society's expectations. I also thought that by showing her in the corner it would make her seem more tiny and insignificant. Another technique I used was line. I utilized the lines created by the wall to make the model become the center of attention. The bottom and farther lines all seem to be leading to her and it brought a lot of attention to her instead of the laptop or the beauty supplies. Although the props are important, I wanted the viewer to take in how she is feeling first before looking at the rest of the picture. I also included the diagonal line on the right edge of the picture to show how odd everything looks. It is going a completely different way than the rest of the lines and it makes the picture seem a little less normal. Which if we put into perspective, determining your self-worth based on how conventionally attractive you are shouldn’t be normal. I used the camera angle technique by taking the picture high up from the ground. I wanted the picture to reflect how small she is in the grand scheme of things. I also wanted to show how alone and invaluable she feels. By showing her leaning her head into her hands, I wanted to demonstrate how exasperated she feels when she tries to fit into society's beauty standards but never quite reaches them. Another technique I used was face. I used face by avoiding showing the model's face. I used this technique in hopes that the viewer comes to the realization that the person sitting against the wall trying to make themselves fit into society's ideal mold could be anyone. It could be themselves, their sister, their mother, or their best friend. It also takes away the model individuality and makes her seem like just another insignificant person trying to fit into society's expectations. The last technique I used was symbolism. I used symbolism by using my laptop as a symbol for the media. The media is what society uses to influence us. We check Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for guidance as to what to do and how to act. We go on Pinterest to find acceptable outfits, YouTube to do our makeup in a way that society considers acceptable, and Instagram to compare our bodies to influencers.
Although it seems like we are alone in this journey of self-hatred and wanting to change ourselves, we aren’t. Societies expectations affect all of us. It sometimes seems as if girls are the only ones affected but we aren’t, boys are also affected. If we teach the younger generation that society's expectations are not valuable and that they deserve to be happy in their own bodies, I think we could make a change. Parents can help by showing their children that they are not excluded from any toy or tv show because of their gender and that they are beautiful just the way they are. No one deserves to feel as if they are less worthy because of the way they look or the way they dress.
Works cited
Greenfield, Lauren. GIRL CULTURE. 2001, v1.zonezero.com/exposiciones/fotografos/girlcult/index.html.
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.
2 comments:
From Alexis T.
I feel that your photo truly represents what girl culture is in society. As a woman, we face so much pressure in society to be perfect representations of femininity at all times. As your photo displays, these unrealistic standards of beauty begin to take a heavy toll on adolescent girls. Your use of space and corners in this picture very effectively communicated to your audience feelings of insignificance and being trapped. When you are constantly told that you have to look a certain way or wear certain clothes it can be hard to go against that. Ever since I was a child, I have watched the women in my life wear make-up, dresses, and be the picture of femininity. My mother wouldn’t even go to the grocery store without putting on makeup and dressing up. Every time I looked in a magazine or turned on the television, there were beautiful, skinny models with stylish clothes. It was confining because from a young age I thought that dressing up and wearing makeup was a normal thing that girls were supposed to do. It is stressed to young girls that the only way to be beautiful is to conform to society's beauty standards. It was not until years later that I realized that I was trying to reach a beauty standard that was impossible to reach. I chose to comment on your photo because your use of creative techniques immediately stood out to me. Taking the photo from the above angle displays the power dynamic between the model and society. The audience is looking down on the subject who appears to be alone and in distress. The camera angle in this photo emphasized how small and insignificant the subject feels in the photo. I liked how you chose to cover the models face because it creates anonymity. As you stated in your essay, the girl in the picture could be any one of us. Your photo tells a powerful story that I am sure that many women can relate to. Constantly comparing yourself to women on the internet and wondering why you do not look like them is extremely detrimental to a young girl’s self-esteem.
From sasiya,
I feel sad when I saw this picture and even safer to read your essay. When I sad I like to sit at the corner and let myself to be sad for awhile. She sat at the corner represent her less powerful as like you said the model in the corner of the room because I wanted the viewer to see her literally backed into a corner that she feels as if she is obligated to fit into society's expectations. And I also agreed that by showing her in the corner it would make her seem more tiny and insignificant. Like yourself the way you are not the way that people put in your head.
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