8. Essay

How far do you agree that feminist photography is powerful in promoting equality of the sexes?

I think that photography plays a powerful role in feminism in regards to promoting equality of the sexes, however I also think at times it supersedes equality of the sexes and leans more towards superiority of the female sex. I chose to base my Personal Investigation in photography on the character of Nora Helmer, from Ibsen's A Dolls House. She as a character plays a very key role in the whole feminist movement. I wanted to depict the feminist features the character Nora Helmer has and showcase them through means of photography. In order to do this I needed to look into photographers and artists who base their work around feminism. I have found some very powerful photographers and artists who expose feminism in a very shocking way, provoking their audiences to think about the lack of equality of the sexes in the modern world. The photographers who I have looked at in depth and have been inspired by have been Cindy Sherman who photographed women for film stills; Frida Khalo who was an artist who depicted features of herself that she could apply to feminism; Rachel Stone who photographed some powerful images o the typical role of a woman and her struggles; Hannah Wilke who took fascinating self portraits with gum on her face representing blemishes and curlers in her hair, and Jessica Ledwich who explores feminism in a very reflective and real way. However there is one photograph which I find so very fascinating from a feminist perspective. The photograph was taken by Adrian Costea and the only description he gives for the photograph is that it was taken in 2008 and that he thought he lost it. 

The photograph is labeled Manly Woman. I think that this photograph stands out as a strong feminist photograph as it portrays a very different ideology of a woman. The cigarette shows a chilled and laid back attitude which contrasts with the look of disgust on her face. The disgust in her face shows a sense of the authority she believes she has, she clearly sees herself as higher than many others. The razor shows that she cares about her appearance however she isn't doing it for anyone but herself. The perfect nails show that she is organised and the shirt could show she is a business woman. 

I think the initial impact of a photograph is so important in educating the. The initial impact of Hannah Wilke's photography showed me that a photograph within itself can contain a deeper meaning, there is always more than meets the eye. Hannah Wilke photographed herself for her project scarification object series (1974)

The solemn look on her face shows a vulnerability and unwillingness to try and cover up her blemishes and to have rollers in and to change the way she naturally is. Also the expression on her face is one that says "Do NOT judge me" as some women who change their appearance judge others for changing their appearance in the most hypocritical ways.

This photograph also shows the vulnerability of Hannah Wilke as she is attempting to cover her breast yet she shows no expression of fear on her face.

I think that this final photograph is fascinating as it shows the hair under her armpits, a trait that most women would renounce and yet she is covering up her blemishes and has her hair in rollers but the one thing that most women would do to their appearance is shave and yet she hasn't. This shows how women have the right to change what they wish to change about their appearance. If a woman wishes to wear makeup she may, if she wishes not to she may, if she wishes to shave she may, if she wishes not to she may. She doesn't have to impress anyone other than herself. 

I found it interesting looking at how through the power of photography brands used the sexualisation of women in their adverts, I also saw that at times they portrayed their ad's in a feminist way. However there wouldn't be this impact associated with the brand if it weren't for the photographs. Dolce and Gabbana are a main culprit in sexualising women through photographic advertisement. These first three photographs are Dolce and Gabbana adverts that shows a degrading sexualised stereotype of a woman. 

MARIANO VIVANCO

In the first photograph the woman is the centre of attention as a form of entertainment, she isn't being taken seriously, and in the following two photographs the woman is being overpowered by the men, this suggests the weakness and objectiveness of a woman rather than her strength and humanity, this is then associated with the brand Dolce and Gabbana.

However although these photographs degrade women and associate this with their brand, Dolce and Gabbana also have some adverts which would suggest the opposite. Although they could be argued for either or.

This first photograph shows the control the women have over these two men, however it portrays an inaccurate manipulative persona that the women appear to have. The men in this photograph cannot see what is being done to them and they are being sexually exploited by these women. The photographer who took this may have had this in mind as a provocative image in order to make a statement about the fact that when a brand makes an advertisement and sexualises women and no one makes a comment about it and about how inappropriate it is, and so maybe they wanted to show the same thing from a different perspective. When you look at this photograph you see something that is regarded as inappropriate and out of order, however you don't feel the same way when you look at the photographs of male empowerment. 

Then when I look at this photograph I see a group of Women who are the main focal point of the photograph and who are standing strong. Two of the women are smiling showing that they are content however one of the women is expressing anger towers the young men who are walking away from her and ignoring her. This photograph speaks out for both sides again as on the one hand we have the women standing tall and looking as though they are in charge and that they are respectable women, however on the other hand we have the young men who can clearly hear whatever it is the woman is saying and yet they are choosing to ignore her which yet again shows the male empowerment. 

I found that Jessica Ledwich took some fascinating photographs from the feminist perspective of women and their bodies and what men see them as but in a much more brutal way. She called her project Monstrous Feminine. I think that her photographs are very strong images because of their colours, composition and focal points. 

I think that this photograph is a very powerful photograph in addressing feminism as it shows how a woman is objectified because of her outwear appearance and that the woman herself may be very insecure about it. The fact that the knife is in the woman's hand proves this as if there were no knife in her hand it would then suggest that someone else cut her breast out rather than herself. This then shows that she is judging herself rather than other people judging her. This also speaks out about not only the insecurities women have but also the fact that women are in control of their bodies and tat they do not need to be defined by a man.

I think that this photograph is also very powerful from a feminist point of view as when a woman has an abortion it is always deemed as the woman being the murderer and not the man. The choice to have an abortion is generally a two sided thing and women often get cast as murderers if they choose to have an abortion. People very rarely consider the situation the woman may have been in and they automatically label that woman without knowing her story. I think that is why in the photograph the woman is holding onto the chain of dead babies, showing that its not necessarily her choice to have aborted them and that there is possibly a male figure who is taking the children away from her.

I find this photograph hauntingly beautiful as it shows how women define themselves and the desperate need to be better and to change their appearance. Very few women can look at themselves in the mirror and call themselves beautiful as they all have their insecurities. The depth of field in this photograph is what I personally find the most captivating as it shows how women tend to focus on trying to change themselves without even realising where they are or what it is that they are doing. I aslo really like the fact that everything is priced as it shows that their is a price to be paid in order to change your appearance, and also the fact that they are all other peoples limbs shows that the price is to loose your sanity, and you are becoming someone else. However one of the main reasons a woman wishes to change her appearance is so that she can be come more attractive to a certain person. I think that through this photograph Jessica Ledwich wanted to show the stereotypical view that it is always the woman who changes her appearance for a man but never the men who change thier appearance for the woman.

I think that this photo speaks out loudly about feminism as it shows a piece of equipment that stereotypically a woman wouldn't use and so for a woman to be using it in this photograph makes a statement. Jessica Ledwich through this photograph is proving that women are just as good as men at certian things and that in this sense men and women are and should be treated equally. I think that this photograph is also interesting as the fact she is waxing her legs with this shows the extreeme extent a woman will go to for her outward appearance to be up to standard for her man. It also speaks out about the ridiculous expectation that a woman should constantly have smooth legs and that it is not socially acceptable for a woman to have hairy legs like it is for a man.  

I really like this photograph as it shows how aesthetic things can so easily become a part of a woman's life and that she then becomes so attatched that she cannot leave the house without these essensial things. It is like they have practically become a part of her. I also think that this shows how a woman's beauty can be used as a weapon and that the devices used to make a woman beautiful can be used as a form of protection, beauty then becomes a mask to the true vulnerability of a woman. I like that their is blood because it shows that their is a painful price to be paid when a woman tries her hardest to be good enough but also to protect herself. The cost can be a woman's sanity.



I think that this photograph is powerful as it shows how a woman is expected to multitask, to be a housewife, to be beautiful, to wear provactive clothing, to have perfectly painted nails and smooth legs. I think that Jessica Ledwich wanted to show just quite how ridiculous and unrealistic it is to expect so much of a woman and then claim that they aren't fit to work and that they should get less pay.


I have found all of these photographers very influential when embarking upon taking my own photographs for my project. For my personal investigation I have focused solely on Henrik Ibsen's character of Nora Helmer from his play A Doll's House, I have looked at her from a feminist perspective and have let my thoughts and ideas and interpretations follow on from that. I think that some of my photographs have captured the feminism through the character of Nora Helmer really well and I am pleased with my outcomes. 

I started off my ideas for portraying Nora as a feminist character in my photographs through an experimentation shoot where I played around with Nora's final monologue where she chooses to leave her husband Torvald due to the fact he has always treated her like a doll and she won't stand for it any longer. I then shot this same photograph with different models and in different ways and I have let my ideas develop from it. My favourite of these however is a photograph I took of my sister holding out the ring which I took on my NIKON DSLR camera, I then edited the photograph on photoshop increasing the contrast and changing into black and white. I then inverted the photograph and printed it out onto acetate which I then used as film in the dark room, developing the photograph onto photographic paper. I spent a lot of time in the dark room experimenting with the different ways I could develop the photo and I tried out things such as double exposure and scratching into the acetate. However my favourite outcome was when instead of putting my photographic paper into the developer tray after I had exposed it to the film and light, I put my whole hand into the developer and then firmly placed my hand onto the photograph roughly where I thought my sister's hand was in the photograph. I then watched it develop and the outcome I had was exactly what I wanted. I feel as though this as a photograph is impressive as it shows from one perspective how firm she is being now that she for once is standing up for herself and also it shows how Torvald, her husband only then takes notice of her when she says she wants to leave him and even then he isn't focused on her, he is focused on the ring that is in her hand and the consequences of her leaving him and what people will say.

I also then photographed my models acting with emotion for the roll of Nora Helmer my favourite of these was this 

I love this photo because you can see the vulnerability in her eyes and the closeness of the photograph makes it much more impacting. I think that because of this it puts across the story of Nora Helmer. The emotion of the photograph is powerful in depicting the desperation in her heart to be free.

In conclusion I think that feminist photography is very powerful in promoting equality of the sexes however I feel there aren't enough feminist photographers about in order for a real impact on society and the misogynistic views in the 21st century. At present time I feel that there are more photographers who promote sexism rather than equality.