In the Far From Home photo series on National Geographic's website, photos of Dubai are displayed depicting various aspects of life. Out of all the photos listed, the one I found to be the most captivating was of a collection of women entertainers resting in between dances inside of a Gentleman's club. This photo was quite striking to me because of the portrayal of the women, and the relationship demonstrated between the dancers and the men of the club, and the atmosphere of the club.
Although each woman has slightly different posture from the next, there are a few commonalities that they all share. The general expression given off from each woman is one of discomfort. Upon looking at the photograph, one collects a feeling of resentment or fear from their expressions. Almost every woman is sitting with crossed arms or legs, , exhibiting tense body language. Only two out of the nine women in the photograph are looking forward while the rest are turned away from their audience. They seem as if they are determinedly focusing their gaze on something else to keep them from meeting the eyes of their customers as they try to enjoy their break. Although one woman is smiling, even she looks like her smile may not be out of happiness, but out of nervousness. The women sit very close together. Some clutch each others hands tightly while others huddle together. This body language gives off a sense of companionship exclusive to the dancers. By showing the women as if they were relying on one another, one begins to wonder to what degree of dehumanizing conditions these women are put through and how it is affecting them. From the evidence provided, one could conclude that these dancers are consequently affected by their job to such a str...
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...cers. However, the women are not reflected in a positive light. Contrary to their lavish outfits and sensual makeup , the women do not look confident. Based off of their attire, they should feel as beautiful as they look. Unfortunately, they look quite frail and insecure. Whether they actually feel that way is undetermined, but it is clear that Bendiksen used their frail appearance to make his point. Through this photograph, he categorizes women as unhappy people who work under scandalous conditions to make a living. He wants people to look at this photo, wonder what lead them to this point in their lives, and further investigate. This photo is intended to make people think. By taking an idea that can be found all around the world, women’s sexuality, and applying it to one central situation, the reader is immediately drawn in.
Works Cited
National geographic
“Beauty Treatment” is an ironic testament to the lives and expectations of girls and women, particularly girls of a certain social class. They are raised for the sole purpose of getting their MRS degree from college, and nothing more. To do this, they are adorned in the best clothing, “all the latest stuff from the stores,” also the goal to “marry a Jewish doctor,” where they can look forward to “live bored and frustrated in the suburbs.” What was seen by everyone as catastrophic to the narrator, “The Accident” of having her face marred and her marriageable viability tarnished, in fact liberated the narrator.
To elaborate, Scott argues that as a picture interpreter, we must make a distinction between the “ideal and the real,” to understand the true meaning of an image. She argues how the Gibson Girl and the American Girl were two idealised visions of modern beauty and femininity which made women to try to be like them. These two girls became markers of their decade, ...
The picture explains how sexual violence was rampant during the atlantic slave trade. Women were exploited, and their roles were to satisfy men, give birth, and feed the whites. It is a dominant theme in the picture. She agrees that her work is erotically explicit and would appreciate if people were ashamed of the exploitation done to the
At the same time as they prey on male female tensions, they also set the standard for what provides them, that is, they show these girls and guys who are observing each other. The photos deliberately express a kind of criticism in the eyes of these models, which, in turn, forces self-consciousness, which is closely related to insecurity. This self-consciousness keeps the standard of what ‘cool’ is, constantly in check. In this way they create an effective loop, which is nearly self-sustaining.
“Just as musicians have their instruments, dancers have their bodies” (Price and Pettijohn 991). The body is the only tool in which a dancer has to create art and express themselves. For this reason, there is a constant focus on the body. This constant focus, and constant pressure, can cause the dancers to develop concerns and a negative body image. The term body image can be defined as “the way in which people see themselves in the mirror everyday: the values, judgments, and ideas that they attach to their appearance” (Kelso 1). From childhood people perceive themselves in a certain way. They learn of how to feel about their ...
Women have spent a large amount of time throughout the 20th century fighting for liberation from a patriarchal form that told them that they must be quiet and loyal to their husbands and fathers. For the duration of this essay, I will be discussing how the “Modern Woman” image that appeared through the Art Deco style — that emulated ideas such as the femme fatale and masqueraded woman, and presented new styles to enhance women’s comfortability and freedom — is still prevalent and has grown in contemporary art and design since. Overall I will describing to you how fashion, sexuality, and the newly emerged ‘female gaze’, and how these tie in together — in both periods of time — to produce what can be described as powerful femininity.
In the book, Women in the Middle East, a Saudi Arabian proverb states, "A girl possesses nothing but a veil and a tomb" (Harik and Marston 83). The key words, "veil" and "tomb" lend evidence to the fact that many Middle Eastern women lack identity symbolized by the “veil” and lack the right of ownership except for their veil and the tomb. This statement further enforces the notion that many women in the Middle East are expected to serve and tolerate the oppression of the men in their lives throughout their lives on this earth. Moreover, it confirms that many of these women do not get the opportunity to obtain education, join the work force, and even participate in the political affairs of the country. This arrangement further helps the Middle Eastern men to view women as their properties, servants, or even as slaves. Ultimately, there are three main reasons why Middle Eastern men engage in the act of oppressing their women.
These cultural strictures come in a number of forms. First, the artist attacks intellectual conformity, choosing art over all other means of self-expression even though it is not widespread in his or her society. Though it is not explicitly stated - and is perhaps even subconscious - the artist chooses art over either academe or high society. The artist questions society's customs, making this choice explicit in their daily actions. The artist rejects ostentatious displays of wealth and the cultural emphasis on money, replacing it with a frugal simplicity more conducive to authentic experience. Finally, the artist calls into question the cultural construct most important to any understanding of human interaction - the binary conception of gender.
The Women of the Middle East have played substantial roles for their corresponding countries since the advent of colonialism in the region. Middle Eastern women have worked in all types of fields including medicine, education, agriculture, government, private sector, and even defense. They have kept roofs over their family’s heads while their husbands were away in wars, or even in foreign countries to work in jobs that they could not find in their own countries. The roles of women in the countries of Yemen and Oman are no exception, but while they still find ways to contribute to their country, they care constantly stereotyped, discriminated, and ridiculed by men who are known and unknown to them. This paper will discuss the individual contributions of the women living in Yemen and Oman, and will discuss in further state laws and cultural norms that are affecting the women living in these countries today.
2017). The female gaze is used as an attempt to subvert the image of the man being “the bearer of the look” and the “woman as the image” (Mulvey, 1975: 19). Yes, in that specific scene, the belly dancer was the “image” to be looked as we would expect from traditional cinema, however, she was not sexualized in the way a masculine point of view would present her (Mulvey, 1975: 20). What this does is that it feminizes both the spectators and the camera’s point of view from the very beginning, indicating a sign that we will be introduced to events and relationships from a female perspective that would otherwise be unknown to us in the male dominated world of Bent Familia (Mulvey, 1975: 25). This scene is also very important because it tells the
The stress of always doing the same day-to-day routine eventually causes someone to break. In Ohad Naharin’s Deca Dance, the second piece, features a large group of dancers in suits who stand in a semi-circle with a chair sitting directly behind each person. The dancers use tension and looseness in their movements as well as use different aspects of timing to perform a repetitive sequence that shows how the same patterns lead to breaking free from confinement within themselves.
reality. The most surface level critique of the picture is a+b=c; whether you are male or female if you buy the jeans, you wear them, you will be as flawless, skinny, sexy, and wanted as the models. Furthermore, the women are represented as liberated and carefree, providing a fantasy that they are at the center of the males focus. They do not care what is done to them, and they know that they are irresistible. However, in reality the women look actually quite emotionless, and CK is saying have no reservations about anyone, flaunt what you got with anybody or however many people. Likewise, the males appear to be enjoying themselves, what do they have to complain about. They’re sculpted, naked women all around them. However, in truth they desire for the women to submit to them but the female lying across the male on the couch is propping herself up with her arms with one hand on the male 's face, holding it rather aggressively. She is giving the message that she is in control, so despite the male’s desire he ends up submitting to her waiting for her plan and her lead. In the end, the males and females walk away with nothing left on them but their bare skin and the reality of
The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago is an icon of feminist art that represents one thousand and thirty eight women in history. Nine hundred and ninety nine names are inscribed in the Heritage Floor on which the table rests while the other thirty-nine women are represented by place settings. It is an epic piece of work comprised of a triangular table divided by three wings, each wing being forty-eight feet long. This piece of artwork explores numerous media, which includes Chinese painting, ceramics and an array of needle and fiber techniques. All these media are used for one major purpose and that is to honor women throughout history in Western Civilization.
Judging a woman by her appearance became a social norm in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since women were not allowed to hold high or reputable positions, they often relied on their husbands to pay and bring in most of the bills and money. Such conditions often left a young woman scrambling to find a husband, or better said it was in her best interest to find a husband. Modern literature originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At the time, true women were thought to exhibit the following traits: piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity (Welter). Not only did women criticize each other, but the media did as well. Women were also responsible for upholding their physical beauty. A woman could’ve had all the traits that made her a true woman, but if she lacked physical beauty, she was shamed by society. The majority of modern American texts began to shift from the standards of women being weak and submissive but they still regarded physical beauty as a trait that all women had to maintain and obsess about.
Also, the performers are constituted with same number of men and women. They imply the importance of equality through the performance. The female and male dancers use the same movements to show that they are equal. The message being conveyed here is important, on the grounds of its social influence and giving the whole performance a deeper meaning. The thing makes dancing different and odd to other occupations is the fact that most famous and well known dancers are mostly females, since on other social circumstances males tend to dominate more realms. Here, besides all the female masters, the male dancers appear as much as the female artists do and they also showcase what they are capable of. As I watched more of the performance, the interactions between dancers and the LED lights became more appealing to me. Dancers use their bodies to interpret the connections between human beings and technology. Moreover, the background music also plays a vital role in the production of this whole piece of art. The tempo of the music, the dance movements, as well as the frequency of the lights going on and off together appeared to the audience as a desirable combination. I love how the dancers do every movements according to the rhythm of the music and how they two fit perfectly. All of those things together made a great show to watch and