The Invisible Leash

From: Arielle

Girls are taught from a young age that they need a man to succeed in life. They need a man to fight their battles, to protect them, to provide for them, and to give them a purpose in life. In “Hers; The Smurfette Principle”, Katha Pollitt describes the Smurfette Principle as “a group of male buddies…accented by a lone female, stereotypically defined”.

    In my photo, I decided to position the male figures in a way that demonstrates they are clearly a group, a united front and engaged in sharing their own ideas amongst themselves. There is a clear sense of togetherness and of being a team. Their posture demonstrates that they respect one another and see each other as equal partners in their endeavors. I have positioned the male figures in a way that emphasizes that they feel noble for including a woman in their orbit. However, they are really patronizing her by not fully including her and keeping her at a distance. There is no point of entrance for her into the group, and they are not reaching to pull her in. On the other hand, the Baby Yoda has full access and participation with the group and is seen as more of an asset than she is. She is on an invisible leash, distant and apart from the group and dependent on them for inclusion. 

Rey, on the other hand, is off to one side because she doesn’t see herself as equal to them. She doesn’t value herself and feels lucky to be in their presence. She is clearly accepting her role as the Smurfette by not moving closer and not making a place for herself in the group, not even asking for more inclusion. This isn’t because she doesn’t want more inclusion, but because she truly thinks this is the best it will get for her. An additional statement that Katha Pollitt puts forth is that “Girls exist only in relation to boys”. This phrase has a significant impact on the psychological and emotional development of young girls everywhere. To believe and to be told that one’s existence is only in relation to boys is so detrimental to one’s identity and self-esteem. In addition, it has a profound effect on young women’s willingness to aspire to be great on their own. We can see how this will affect their mental health and lead to issues such as anxiety and depression, just to name a few, all of which often go unnoticed. I positioned her with a stance that demonstrates her lack of confidence, uncertainty in where she fits with this team of men. She is demonstrating how tentative and unsure she is about her relationship and position with the group. She is on the invisible leash; wherever the boys go, she goes, because she wants to be with them even if she isn’t really a part of the team, even if she is really on the outskirts of the team. 

I chose a beige backdrop for my photo, which emboldens the men who are wearing all black, while Rey fades into the background as the true Smurfette.

Work Cited

Pollitt, Katha., “Hers; The Smurfette Principle”. The New York Times, 7 April, 1991.

How Far Will You Go

From: Sierra

For my topic I chose, the consequences of unrealistic beauty standards on

adolescent girls. Media heavily emphasizes the importance of appearance for girls. Many of the images used in modeling magazines and in acting or animated characters on T.V. over exaggerate the female body with the main focus being the tiny, dainty, and fragile nature of feminine beauty. This leads to girls striving to achieve those same unrealistic, edited looks through harmful means including excessive physical activity and even developing eating disorders leaving them undernourished and exhausted. In Girl Culture by Lauren Greenfield, we hear the story of many girls one of which being the story of Erin (22) talking about her eating addiction which started at the age of 12. She talks about her small size being part of her personality and identity which she fears losing despite her severe lack of nutrition to the point where she barely has enough energy to stand and walk. In the interview, she talks about how as time went on it got harder and harder for her to break away from the eating disorders and that she wishes she stopped when she was younger and could. This goes to show that even with the knowledge of how harmful an eating disorder is and the experience of how difficult life is when you don't have the strength to take care of yourself, the urge to fit those beauty standards is even stronger in our society. As we learn from The “Two Cultures” Of Childhood (Rudman et al.) these images of what a woman should look and act like are implanted and enforced at such a young age. The “Two Cultures” of Childhood claims children begin picking up on gendered differences as young as 3 years old

In my photo, I used the creative techniques of lines, on the mirror to draw attention to the face where you can see first the exhaustion and second that leads to the next technique I used, which was the gaze. We can see her staring into the mirror desperately examining her body rather than seeing herself shes simply sees the body she is confined to and how it measures up. Lastly, I used the angle and placement to symbolize that the image in the mirror is the main focus while the actual person is cut off, showing how the actual person is not deemed important or is overshadowed by the physical appearance.

Works Cited

Greenfield, Lauren. “GIRL CULTURE.” Girl Culture - Lauren Greenfield, Zone Zero, 2001, http://v1.zonezero.com/exposiciones/fotografos/girlcult/greenfield18.html.

Rudman, Laurie A., et al. “The Two Cultures of Childhood,” The Psychology of Gender: How Power and Intimacy Shape Gender Relations. The Gilford Press, 2015, 59-63

Union Between Worlds

 

From: Katie

            When you walk through the toy isles of any store, there is a stark contrast between toys marketed to boys versus girls. The two isles of toys have been cultivated for years, ensuring that both markets have a guaranteed customer base with little to no overlap. And theoretically, there is nothing physically stopping children from choosing toys from the different isles, there are many aspects as to how children will interact with these toys. The girls are given dolls and animals to nurture and decorate, while the boys are given cars and action figures to crash and fight. But what were to happen if the children’s separate spheres of play were to cross over more?

My topic for this assignment focuses on the themes presented in the article “The ‘Two Cultures’ of Childhood” specifically inspired by the segment in Toy and Activity Preferences where they modified a “My Little Pony” toy to a point that “Both boys and girls classified the altered pony as a boy’s toy” as opposed to a girl’s toy (Rudman). This image depicts two different children’s toys, both of which have been modified. The left is a small unicorn that has been painted black, hair cut short and colored red, with sharp teeth a mean look on its face. On the right is a Mortal Kombat character named Baraka who wears a Barbie wedding dress, crown and veil, holding a bouquet of flowers. The two are standing side by side, as if these two were getting married, with the background blurred to draw extra attention to the two objects. With the picture being very focused on the two toys, the audience is compelled to consider why these two would be considered strange. It is still obvious what the two items used to be and who they would have been advertised to, as the shape of the pony is very soft and flowy while Baraka is sharp and bloody around the face. Although, Baraka may still be identified as a boy’s toy since it was not as heavily modified as the pony.

While getting the toys ready, I realized how much fun I was having with these two as if I was a child again. Especially when getting Baraka ready I felt a strange fascination on how surprisingly well the Barbie dress fitted over the action figure. Even if it is a tight fit with one of the straps snapping, I could very well see a pair of siblings do a similar type of play together. While I do not foresee toy companies actively encourage boys and girls playing with these toys together, a child’s imagination could make anything happen.

 

Works Cited

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.

I Wanna Be a Girl's Girl

From: Jenna

In my piece I wanted to demonstrate the interaction style between 2 females and how that shapes them within society. According to Tannen in “He said, She said: Gender, Language, and Communication”, females tend to emphasize sameness, in comparison males tend to stress differences between one another (Tannen). We can see in this photo that the 2 models are very close together and they are even matching outfits. The younger model is looking to the older one painting her nails and making a face that is meant to signify admiration. The models are also both wearing pink which traditionally represent femininity. Not only is the younger one copying the older one’s clothes, but also teaching her how to paint her nails and essentially “be a girl’. We can also observe the important of sharing for girl in terms of interaction styles based on “The ‘Two Cultures’ of Childhood” essay (Rudman 59-63). Looking at the image, the two females are sharing the nail polishes as opposed to one hoarding them to themselves. This is of importance because it represents a sense of togetherness, they are bonding over sharing with one another and doing this activity together. We can even think back to the class discussion about toys for girls/boys and how they differ. We must note that many toys for girls and boys mimic adult things such as tool kits, kitchenettes, makeup, guns, etc. In this photo we can see the young model painting her nails and copying what the other model. This is her learning that painting nails was something that women do and to be a woman she must learn how to paint her nails. Thinking of the bigger picture here, it isn’t just about nail polish, it about the value placed on the appearance of women. The same message is reinforced by the clothing choices of the 2 models. The younger model observes the older model wearing pink then using that color to represent her own femininity. There are 2 lines throughout this image, one is going horizontally whereas the other is vertical. Where the lines are meant to intersect, the younger model is standing there which lead to eye to look at her. As previously discussed, I also used pink to categorize the two models as female to represent the connotation many have to the color.

Work Cited
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.
Tannen, Deborah. He Said, She Said: Gender, Language and Communication. Into the
Classroom Media, 2013.

A Bride Survives

 From: Jamie

Boys and girls are taught by their parents, family, and friends from a very young age how they should act, what toys they should play with, how they should interact with others, what they should prioritize, etc. There are certain norms, values, behaviors, and beliefs that males and females should uphold throughout their life respective to their gender group. If they do not uphold certain expectations and roles, they will be ostracized.

            For one, men are taught as little boys that they will “wear the pants” in a relationship. In a heterosexual relationship, the men are supposed to be the dominant of the two. They have more control, make all the decisions for the pair, and take charge of situations. The woman is taught to be submissive, to listen to her husband, and to not make decisions on her own. Many children see this traditional dynamic in their own household and believe it to be the norm.

            Another example of how boys and girls are socialized differently is how much emphasis society puts on how a woman should look. Girls are taught that their only asset is their looks and that they should prioritize their appearance over anything else. They must wear makeup, heels, and pretty dresses. They should do their hair everyday and have smooth, hairless skin. Boys typically don't have this pressure appearance-wise, and are more pressured to be intelligent or athletic.

            Lastly, women’s goals in life are generally thought to be anything regarding family or marriage. They are supposed to want a nice house to keep up with, a lot of kids to take care of, and a husband to take care of her. Men’s goals are generally work or money based. They are supposed to work 8+ hours a day and be the breadwinner of the family. This is completely taught behavior as these roles can easily be swapped, it would just be seen as wrong and unusual.

For this project, I wanted to focus on how socialization has affected everything to do with weddings and marriage, and the different roles the bride and the groom play. I went through my mother’s photo albums to find the perfect pictures to represent my topic. The way the middle picture is taken and how the groom is on one knee looking up at his bride draws the audience's gaze to the woman rather than the man. It emphasizes how all eyes are on the woman. One point I wanted to make is how weddings are typically centered around the woman. It is seen as more of a crucial moment in a woman's life rather than the man’s life. Women are supposed to surrender their life to finding someone to take care of them, starting a family and having kids. Many young girls are taught this. Women are supposed to value marriage more than a man should.

Although values are rapidly changing, it is the norm for women to wear white to their wedding. The color white typically represents purity, innocence, and virginity. It is also considered to be the color of perfection. Society holds this image of how a bride should look and what kind of person she should be. Why does a woman have so much pressure to be this clean, virtuous person? Why are women given this pressure and not men? A white wedding dress has become the norm in today’s society to emphasize her clean slate and new beginnings. It was once thought that a woman should not wear white on her second marriage because she is not pure nor would she be a virgin. A man is not given these unrealistic societal standards.

In the picture above, I implemented foreground and background to layer a picture of the groom and his groomsmen in the back and the bride and her bridesmaids in the front, again emphasizing the importance of marriage for a woman rather than a man. When a woman gets married, tradition makes it so that many things in her life will change. She will take her husband’s last name and remove hers from her life. She will go from Ms. to Mrs. because a woman must identify to the public if she is married or not. Foreground emphasizes importance, so putting the women in the front explains to the audience how women are supposed to manipulate their identity to get married. A man goes through none of this.

All in all, marriage and wedding ceremonies are a great example of how men and women have been socialized differently throughout their life and how traditions and norms keep men and women from being seen as equals.

 

 

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.

 

Playdate

 

From: Ryann

All children grow up being told indirectly that there is a certain way to do things. You are either a boy or a girl and you can either be a teacher or an astronaut. Around the age of 3 is when these ideas really start to make their way into the forefront of children’s minds. Boys play harder and rougher, and girls talk more. They also know what toys to play with: whether it is a boy toy or a girl toy or both. But you should not dare play with a boy toy if you are a girl. Barbies are not for boys. Trucks are not for girls. How about you play with something that will not hurt you “sweetheart.” This photo captures these subconscious ideals that are pushed on to children growing up. How you should only play with what was meant for you and how these things dictate how children communicate – specifically those assigned female at birth.

One looks at this picture and would presume they are girls. Why? Because they are playing with dolls instead of the trucks and dinosaurs that are right next to them. Also, the background is white symbolizing female adolescents as pure. Notice how the trucks and dinosaurs are pushed to the side and the dolls are neatly in a circle indicating how the rough play of boys is too much for the girls to handle. The social hierarchy of these two girls is determined by a few factors. First, there is one girl on top showing literal power of being on top of the social pyramid. Second, her dolls are also bigger than the other girl’s dolls which brings the viewer’s attention to the girl on top because her dolls take up more space. Third, the color. The top girl’s dolls are primarily purple – which symbolizes royalty – and green – which symbolizes greed. The bottom girl has dolls that are primarily yellow – positivity – and white – innocent. Within the female social pyramid, those seen as royal are typically more popular and with that, those seen as more innocent and positive will allow the more popular to get their way to keep the space positive.

In “The ‘Two Cultures’ of Childhood” it is stated that the gender segregation that is made from children playing with only boy or girl toys allows the social interactions to develop. This is how girls get the subtle social aggression in group settings that determine one as the top of the pyramid and the others trickling down. This gender segregation is made from the idea that some toys are only made for boys, and some are only made for girls and strictly allowing only one or the other depending on their gender. If these ideals were not pushed on children as they were developing, children would be more likely to play with the opposite sex, grow up together and interact in the same way without confusion.

 

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.

The Effects of Masculinity on Queerness and Femininity

 

  

From: Christopher

          In Making Masculinity, C.J. Pascoe writes about adolescence, identity, and high school. Pascoe describes how queer theory pushes for society to move past our “traditional” categories such as gay/straight, masculine/feminine, etc. Instead, we should look at how these traditional categories are established, maintained and how we can move past them.^[1] Regarding masculinity, Pascoe discusses the importance of viewing the masculinizing of young boys as a process that occurs outside of the body. In other words, we need to look at how society discretely and overtly makes rules and rituals surrounding masculinity. In my project, I intended to create an image that visualized this socialisation that often occurs among young boys, specifically queer people and people who do not easily fit into the narrowly defined category of masculinity. I included an image of myself when I was younger in my photo. I am standing in a “feminine” stance and wearing a tiara in this picture. The other photo is my high school graduation picture. I look a lot more “masculine” and “straight-passing in this photo.”

For my first two creative techniques, I placed my image in the tiara towards the back of the frame ( in the shadow ). I intended this technique to depict how the feminine is devalued; when young queer boys find themselves dappling in feminine articles of clothing, toys, etc., they are often turned away and redirected towards something more masculine. The shadow was intended to represent how queer people often have to hide their femininity in the shadows of their existence. If boys decide to fight against gender norms and masculinity, these transgressions often result in that person being subject to bullying and violence. In Pascoe’s words, “People are supposed to act in a way that aligns with their presumed sex… People hold other people accountable for “doing gender” correctly.”^[2] Consequently, many young boys adopt these narrow beliefs of masculinity, which I depicted in the black and white portion of the photo.

For my third technique, I used a photo editing app to make the picture of me from high school black and white while simultaneously enhancing the color of the other photo. My goal here was to depict the effects of boys trying to conform to rigid ideas of masculinity and sexuality. As Pascoe explains, many people who exist outside the gender binary and engage in gender practices that oppose their assigned sex are often subject to violence and harassment. This practice of ostracisation and bullying is often heavily present in school. Consequently, many young boys leave their queerness hidden in the shadow. This commonality of hiding queerness and feminity does not come without cost; although following gender practices may keep a person physically safe, the psyche is destroyed in the process nonetheless.

Additionally, I included another creative technique by surrounding my photo with a dark shadow, further emphasizing the two images. It also depicts how the process of masculinization occurs outside oneself, as Pascoe explains. The dark circle of black surrounding the picture gives the impression that the image is in the spotlight. Much like the image, queerness and feminine boys are often put in the spotlight by peers. Too often, feminine boys are the brunt of the joke, and in worst-case scenarios, they are subject to interpersonal violence.

Overall, my image intends to evoke the feeling that many feminine boys know all too well: the reluctant action of hiding oneself and the result of society's narrow gender roles. 

Works Cited

Pascoe. (n.d.). Making masculinity - University of California Press. Retrieved March 30, 2022, from https://content.ucpress.edu/chapters/10671001.ch01.pdf 

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^[1] Pascoe. (n.d.). Making masculinity - University of California Press. Retrieved March 30, 2022, from https://content.ucpress.edu/chapters/10671001.ch01.pdf 

 

^[2] Pascoe. (n.d.). Making masculinity - University of California Press. Retrieved March 30, 2022, from https://content.ucpress.edu/chapters/10671001.ch01.pdf 

 

Femininity in Children’s Media

 

From: Maddie

 

For this assignment I decided to portray how many female heroes, especially disney ones, tend

to be portrayed in children’s media. In the picture we see the main focus being our “heroine”, holding a foam sword and clutching a copy of a Disney movie. While Disney especially has made many steps in showing more female heroes and seeing the girls save themselves, there’s still an expectation about their femininity that comes along with these messages. Yes, girls are allowed to save themselves, but like we see in the picture, she must be pretty and “done up” so to speak. She has to maintain the part of her that’s still appealing to the boys in the movie. For example, in many movies we see the female heroine saving herself with many of her female-specific attributes. In Aladdin, we see Princess Jasmine attempting to seduce Jafar in an effort to help save the day. In the photo we also see our heroine wearing the color white, which usually signifies purity and innocence, two important traits many girls are taught to be coveted, especially by children’s media. We also see that our perspective looks down on the heroine, once again showing that while she can save the day, she’s still less-than. The makeup also adds to make the heroine look soft, and it adds a subtle beauty to the heroine, which is a common theme in media focused on girls. The message that a girl has to wear makeup to be pretty is a common one that can be seen in movies, television, and toys all targeted at children. The hands reaching

out menacingly at the heroine are notably the hands of a man, which is a common situation many female characters are placed into, them against a man.