From: Alexandra
In my photo, titled An Accidental Lesson in Being a Woman, I explore the societal pressure put on girls to play with specific types of toys and consume specific types of media, and the effects those toys and media have on girls and women in the longer term. In this essay I will assess some specific representations of femininity in media and some of the negative impacts they have on girls and women.
The first thing I want to draw attention to in my photo is the use of the different heights of the shelves on the bookcase to show the level of priority between toys. There is a PlayStation controller and a Poké Ball on the bottom shelf, and three Barbie dolls on higher shelves. Toys and activities become gendered at a very early age in children in the United States. “American children spend much of their time playing with gender-neutral toys (e.g., crayons) as well as gender-specific toys (e.g., trucks vs. dolls), but children rarely play with toys associated with the other sex” (Rudman 60). This implies that, although children can play with any toy they want, they learn to play with the toys that are associated with their gender. This is also shown in the photo by the outfit that the young woman is wearing; tight flowery pants and a Marvel Superhero shirt that is covered up as she measures her waist. The difference between the pants and the shirt as well as the difference between the toys on the higher shelves compared to the lower shelves shows the contrast between gendered toys and media.
The images we are shown as children have a cumulative effect. Dr. Justin Lewis touches on this in Mickey Mouse Monopoly, stating that “The way the media influences the way we think is… much more a question of creating a certain environment of images that we grow up in and that we become used to, and after a while those images will begin to shape what we know and what we understand about the world.” So, showing young girls the same representation such as those seen with Disney Princesses; a “highly sexualized female body with the big breasts, the tiny waists, the fluttering eyelashes, the coy expressions” (Dines), lays the foundation for what girls will aim for in adolescence and early adulthood. The Jasmine Barbie and Disney snow globe on one of the shelves in my photo represent the unrealistic beauty standard outlined in Disney Princess films, and the young woman in the photo’s gaze into the mirror at the measurement of her waist represents a desire to match that standard.
This beauty standard is not obtainable. Even Cindy Margolis, the worlds most downloaded woman according to the Guiness Book of World Records, tells the young girls that email her that “Nobody looks like that. My pictures are airbrushed. You should see me without makeup. Everything is lighting and makeup and hair.” This negatively impacts young girls’ mental health, causing them to feel insecure about their looks or even be shamed if they do not match beauty norms. Hannah, 13, shares her experience with this in an interview in Lauren Greenfield’s Girl Culture, stating “Sometimes our friends can be really, really mean. In our group, people get criticized if you do not look a certain way. If you have a flaw, then you will be criticized whether you like it or not.” A box of tissues behind the young woman in my photo is used to symbolize hiding the shame that comes with feeling like you are not beautiful enough.
Works Cited
Greenfield, Lauren. Girl Culture, interviews with Cindy Margolis and Hannah.
http://v1.zonezero.com/exposiciones/fotografos/girlcult/index.html#. ZoneZero, 2001
Picker, Miguel., and Chyng-Feng Sun. Mickey Mouse Monopoly: Disney, Childhood &
Coorporate Power, performance by Justin Lewis and Gail Dines. Kanopy Streaming,
2014.
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.
5 comments:
From: Beth
I think this photo was very well done. The subtopic of gender-based differences in toys is an important one to discuss. This image uses many creative elements to effectively convey its message. The contrast between floral pants and the Marvel shirt is significant–the jeans reflect a traditional, “feminine” aesthetic, while the shirt references media often aimed at boys. The image uses gaze and attracts focus to the subject of the photo, measuring herself in the mirror, which reflects the social scrutiny discussed in the essay. We are drawn to the measuring tape and the self-assessment it represents; she is measuring up to the idealized standards established by elements such as the dolls. The background of the image shows tissues, perhaps to symbolize the subject's emotional response from the impact of these beauty standards. The subject puts the specific toys on different levels to symbolize importance and impact. The different toys can also show the subject being caught between identities with the “feminine” and “masculine” toys. Childhood toys can be playful, but they can also be harmful when we try to determine our self-worth; we see these highly sought-after dolls with what appears to be the “ideal” body type. We start to believe that’s what we need to be accepted or desired.
From: Kelis
Hello Alexandra, I enjoyed reading your photo essay! Women tend to be more affected by societal standards than men in numbers. Societal standards often structure a woman's mind in terms of wanting to have a certain body shape or certain features. In contrast, beauty standards are not necessarily portrayed by the media as something a boy should prioritize in terms of wanting to live up to these standards. Overall, the media has played a huge role in influencing a young girl's way of thinking. From an early age, we see a pattern of behavior displayed in the media, designing female characters to act and look a certain way affecting a young child’s view of identity. The purpose of these films you mentioned is to entertain children, but instead they relay a wrong message to viewers displaying oversexualization, unrealistic beauty norms and sexism. I really like the creative elements used in the photograph, the symbolism is very deep and correlates to the reading “Two Cultures of Childhood” symbolizing both worlds of what society considers to be masculine and feminine, we are able to view the clash of masculinity and femineity displayed in the style of clothing and the symbolic elements on the shelves. Societal views have truly structured individuals' ways of thinking, influencing the way one dresses and the engagement of certain activities resulting in limitations of what one should and shouldn't do. Ultimately, individuals who engage with certain hobbies, toys and media are often viewed differently by society resulting in criticism if individuals of the opposite gender interact with them.
From: Brooke Belange
Alexandra, I absolutely love this photo and all of the different messages it voices! You did a really amazing job incorporating different creative elements of a photo to show a powerful message of how children and adolescents learn the codes of gender. Firstly, I think it was very clever to wear a marvel shirt while almost hiding it by measuring your waist. I didn’t even notice the marvel shirt until I read further into your essay. I think it really voices the struggle girls face when their wants and interests don’t align with their socially assigned gender roles. Especially since this element touches on the beauty standards forced upon women through media, such as disney. The shirt shows more of a male gender role as it shows superheroes who are mainly men and seen as strong and/or saviors and it is covered up by you measuring your waist which is very smart as girls typically face harsh beauty standards, making them insecure, which definitely gets your message across clearly. I also notice the angle and positioning of your head and body. Your head is looking down while your face seems to look very focused on the measuring tape and your lips almost frowning which really adds to the message of how these beauty standards affect young girls mental health. The background also captures so much with just a little detail such as the tissue box. Like you said, it symbolizes the emotional labor women and young girls face when they try to meet the unrealistic beauty standards society has created. Once again, this detail also kind of tagged on to the barbie dolls like jasmine in your photo showing the relations girls make between these idolized disney characters and themselves while also touching on the sub-topic of gender based toys. Every barbie in your photo, especially Jasmine, has a very small waist and thin body adding to the pressure young girls feel to look a certain way in order to feel pretty. I also really appreciate how you placed certain toys at different levels or heights like when you placed the barbies higher than the poke ball and controller as it represents a hierarchy of gender roles often looked over in society. Overall, this was a great photo capturing many important ways young children learn gender roles and the different effects it has on them as they grow older.
From: Mahum Adil
The concept of prioritizing beauty over other hobbies is demonstrated really well in this image. I find the shelves being in a particular order very interesting, the Barbie dolls being placed higher in a place the viewer can really see compared to the PlayStation controller being at the bottom and hard to see clearly shows how hobbies that don’t center around beauty are not prioritized. The symbolism of beauty norms through toys and the PlayStation controller was used really well, especially with using Barbie dolls to show how influential they are to the beauty standard. The Barbie dolls being on top also symbolizes that other hobbies not deemed as feminine are less likely to be expressed. Even if a young girl were to like playing video games, it’s very likely that having dolls would be a priority to showcase that she’s still feminine and plays with dolls to fit in with other girls. This also ties into social media, how women that stream and play video games have to maintain a feminine image and meet beauty standards to fit in with other women and to also not be criticized by men for not being pretty enough. The waist being measured in front of the mirror is also a great way to symbolize the struggles of trying to meet the unattainable beauty standards. Body checking is a common occurrence in young girls especially with influences from not only social but films we’ve grown watching such as Disney princess films as mentioned in your essay, it’s a really good example that gets overlooked.
From: Selena Muskan
Alexandra, I enjoyed reading your photo essay and it’s very clear that you’ve put a lot of thought into it. I like how you incorporated the use of shelves in showcasing the different levels of priority between the use of toys. The Barbie’s being placed on a higher shelf was a nice touch because as girls, we were taught and raised to play with more feminine toys, including Barbie’s. I also like how you went into detail about the “Mickey Mouse Monopoly” and made your own connection to the media’s influence on young woman’s self-image. I feel like a lot of young girls could relate to the idea of always comparing themselves to the “ideal” body type that has been constructed by these innocent looking Disney movies. The unrealistic and unnatural body image is the one most girl’s compare themselves to due to media’s influence, only making them more insecure once they find out it is unachievable.
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