From: Julia
Men and women are distinguished by society from the moment they are born through many factors which we identify as “gender roles”. The photograph attached uses the elements of symbolism, contrast and color in order to represent these gender roles pictorially. Laurie Rudman’s article, “The Two Cultures of Childhood”, discusses gender roles as being learned through social environments and things such as activities being categorized by gender. In the photo, the viewer can see a woman’s hand playing with a dragon toy and a man’s hand playing with a unicorn toy. Gender roles are so widely known, the average viewer can immediately recognize the absurdity of a man holding a toy that is seen as “feminine”, as well as a woman’s hand holding a “masculine” toy such as a dragon. Rudman discusses that things are categorized as “masculine” by their aggressiveness, toughness and boldness. The dragon symbolizes violence and chaos compared to the white unicorn which symbolizes innocence and kindness in this photograph. Having the man be the one to hold this “feminine” object causes a slight contrast between the two. Color is used as a symbolic element in the photograph through the color of the unicorn and the blue hue over the whole picture. The toy unicorn is white, relating to the idea of white being seen as soft and innocent and categorized as something for girls. Blue is often associated with sadness and sorrow, so having a blue tint over the photograph provides a depressed mood. The idea of these roles being taught, learned, and never forgotten provides the same depressed and sad mood. In addition, the two hands in the photo are clearly not children’s hands, but two adults. The hands belong to adults because it represents the long-lasting effect that gender roles have on us. Even though we are able to grow and learn as people, these roles are so normalized that they stay in your consciousness as you grow old. We are introduced from an extremely young age and once socialized to these roles, it’s extremely tough to think any differently.
2 comments:
I found the use of color in this photo particularly striking. Red is often associated with anger, a stereotypically “masculine” emotion; its use combined with the dragon’s presence reinforces that idea. Additionally, the colors of the dragon are brighter - louder - compared to the unicorn’s mostly white, subdued color palette. This could represent the fact that men’s voices are often more valued than women’s, and that men are usually taught to make those voices heard while women are taught that being looked at is more valuable. This is also depicted in the photo through the dragon’s open mouth compared to the unicorn’s complete lack of mouth. The placement of both the dragon and the unicorn in the photo is particularly interesting as well. They are looking at each other, seemingly through a window: transparent, but a barrier nonetheless. Given the structure of the photo, it feels as if we are with the unicorn, outside and looking into the world the dragon inhabits. This could be a nod to the glass ceiling, that invisible but often impenetrable barrier that prevents women from rising to the same heights as men in the workplace and life in general. Women are often stuck on the outside, looking into the world of men they are prevented from inhabiting. Additionally, the inclusion of stairs on the dragon’s side of the picture depicts the wealth of opportunities often available to men for advancement in work and life. The unicorn, on the opposite side of the glass, is unable to access the stairs and is therefore deprived of the same opportunities. Finally, the position of the man’s hand in the photo depicts the undue influence and control men often exercise over women’s lives. The man’s hand takes up more space than the woman’s; it is larger in the photo, thus insinuating it possesses more power - power over the unicorn, and women, in this particular case. The man’s hand also has a firmer grip on the unicorn than the woman’s hand on the dragon; the dragon is held from behind, almost as if being restrained, while the unicorn is held from the side and the top. This could represent certain stereotypes regarding men and women, such as the belief that all men possess underlying violent tendencies while women are delicate and need to be guided through life by the helping hand of a man. Overall, I found this picture extremely effective at illustrating the roles that men and women are assigned from the very beginnings of their lives, and how those roles are perpetuated through society and the production of seemingly innocuous objects.
From: Mahum Adil
I love the concept of this photo, it’s really creative and it truly displays the contrast between toys meant for girls vs boys. The difference between the design and color says a lot about gender norms such as how toys for girls have a softer color palette and appearance while toys for boys are aggressive with vibrant colors excluding pink or any pastel colors. The unicorn being mainly white truly shows the culture of toys for young girls having to be seen as innocent and pure as mentioned in your photo essay. It’s extremely rare to see a dragon or even a dinosaur having a soft palette and even if that were the case, those toys would become hyper feminized due to the stereotype that girls cannot be aggressive or like that anything deemed as masculine. This also ties into real life with hobbies being gendered such as liking or attending car shows being a masculine interest and liking shopping being a feminine interest. Overall, I like how the toys are held in front of a mirror, it shows that they are the same object but have a striking visual difference. One toy meant to display dominance and the other to serve as a pretty object. I also noticed the way the toys are held are different as well. The unicorn is held firm as if it could break or fall while the dragon isn’t held firmly and even if it were to drop, it wouldn’t break due to its rugged structure.
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