From: Grace
I chose the topic of unrealistic beauty standards for my artistic inspiration. Specifically, I am referencing the pressure on girls to start shaving their body hair when they hit puberty. I was in fourth grade when my mother shaved my legs in the kitchen sink for the first time. It was a confusing experience that made me suddenly very aware of my body’s natural hair growth. As I got older, shaving became a regular and necessary part of my beauty routine. I believed that women had no other option but to shave their hair. For all of my friends and I, having hair under your arms was a shameful experience and an embarrassment. Hair was something that was supposed to be hidden on women because it is seen as a masculine trait. Laurie Rudman, the author of “Two Cultures” Of Childhood states, “Gender schemas become part of self-identity, influencing children’s preferences, attitudes, and behavior as they strive to act in socially appropriate ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’ ways. (Rudman, 59)
In the photograph, the woman is wearing lingerie which symbolizes the societal pressure for girl’s to be sexy from a young age. The figure is wearing it as a symbol of conforming to societal beauty standards. The underarm hair is the focal point of the photograph which represents the focus on women’s body hair and appearance by the media. Patriarchal beauty standards tell women that having body hair and being sexy are two separate concepts that cannot coexist. I highlighted this juxtaposition by editing the photo into black and white to represent the black and white thinking of this concept. I cropped the photo into a square to reference the box that women are put in by beauty standards when it comes to grooming themselves. The figure is gazing away from the camera to capture the shame that women often feel about having hair under their arms. I chose to have the figure’s face covered by her hair to symbolize the misconception that femininity is hidden behind a woman’s hair. A few subtle creative details I added are the lingerie being unzipped (breaking free from beauty standards through growing underarm hair) and very faint markings on her skin from the lingerie being restrictive (the emotional damage done by conforming to beauty standards for many years.) I was inspired by Lauren Greenfield’s Girl Culture photograph of a pair of uncomfortable heels that had a woman’s feet being painfully forced into.
5 comments:
From: Avianna
I think it is crazy for girls to be shaving that young. My sister has dark hair and would come home crying because people would call her “ Chewbacca” or they would say “ You have more leg hair than I do.” She started shaving when she was in fourth grade because she didn't want to be called anymore names. I like how you used the black and white filter because it went well with the essay. I agree with what you said about how we feel shame when we don't shave. Girls shouldn't be doing this stuff or wearing that at a young age, and should be living as a kid.
From Kaelyn:
The utilization of gaze within this photograph emphasizes how women aren’t based on their personality or political views, but rather parts about them that fall outside of the standard gender script. Even young girls are taught through the process of social learning that body hair falls outside of their assigned script. That variation in what's expected in young girls becomes the central focus of their personality; which I connected to the lack of central gaze in the photograph. The use of lingerie is also such a good touch since it gives growing body hair a sexual connotation, relating to how puberty (growing hair) is often seen as a sort of sexual rite of passage. It acts as the point where young girls are supposed to be taught what’s socially acceptable as a woman in broad terms. Further reinforcing to girls that body hair is not “sexy” and it's their responsibility to keep themselves within the gender code. The black and white coloring on the photograph displays a feeling of shame even with the sexual nature of the pose and outfit. Through media and children’s programs, masculine women are sometimes played for laughs, reinforcing feelings of shame when young girls choose to exhibit masculine traits. Body hair being one of those traits that is masculine that is looked upon when exhibited by young girls. In addition to the media, the beauty industry supplies young girls with the tools to sculpt themselves in the image of femininity. There is the stress of social isolation if the script is not fulfilled, as shown by the muted colors.
From: Josie
I can relate to this photograph from a personal experience. As a young girl who used to competitively swim, I felt the pressure to shave at an early age. This photo is powerful and shows to me the harsh beauty standard in women as well as that you do not have to shave to feel powerful and beautiful. By referencing The Two Cultures of Childhood it really helps to understand the lengths that young girls go to, to feel accepted in society and supported by those around them. It also shows a double standard, men are never told to shave their body hair and they are never told that body hair is gross or unsanitary. The personal story about a mother shaving her daughter in the sink was really moving to me because it shows that reinforced ideology that woman are taught, that they need to learn how to groom themselves and conform to certain standards in order to fit into society or be accepted.
The symbolism with the lingerie shows the push on young girls to dress for men or care about their appearance in the eyes of others. The angle of the model creates a line, towards the focal point being the body hair. To me this emphasis on the body hair evokes the emotion of feeling shamed or insecure about one’s body. This shape and angle of the picture shows to me the harsh system that women are thrown into. The contrast in colors also shows that this is classical thinking as well as something that is very “black and white”, this type of thinking is very common and is something that not a lot of people would change their viewpoint on.
from: Hannia
I can relate to this personally because I have darker hair that everyone would judge. I've been shaving since middle school because in gym a girl with blond body hair said that girls don't grow hair and why am I different.
I like the usage of the lingerie to demonstrate how girls have always been pushed to be very sexual and please men with their looks. In the picture she isnt looking as us but instead shes looking away and it creates emotion of shame to be hairy
I can relate to the feeling of needing to fit into society's beauty standards, I have always been extremely paranoid of my appearance and the thought of being judged for it. I especially like how you use lingerie to point out how women are pushed to sexualize themselves in order to appease the male gaze. I love the way you made the photo black and white, making a statement on the negative black and white thinking towards women's beauty standards.
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