Identity And Identity In Self-Portrait, By Robert Mapplethorpe

711 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The concept of Gender identity

Identity; the meaning of which can represent a number, a name, or an origin. It can be concrete and documented on a social security card or birth certificate. Quite the opposite is the quality of fluidity it offers. Simply from how one presents themselves, their identity can be interpreted and assumed from a passerby’s glance. Femininity characterized by long hair and makeup. A smile projecting happiness, while a scrunched brow displays distress. “Self-Portrait” by Robert Mapplethorpe sets out to illustrate how varying traits, even while on the same subject matter, can change how one perceives another’s gender. However, without the obvious attributes that are stereotypical for one gender, the harsh line dividing masculinity and femininity …show more content…

In the first image of Mapplethorpe, a defined-square jawline, lit cigarette, leather jacket, furrowed brow, and coiffed hair all point in the direction of male. The brow and cigarette can symbolize toughness, which is essential to the stereotypical masculinity in society. In the second image, a longer hairstyle, softer facial expression, presence of makeup including longer eyelashes, and an overall brighter image from the lack of a shirt causes the viewer to relate the picture to the female gender. Along with the makeup, a sense of vulnerability from the lack of a shirt furthers the idea that femininity equals …show more content…

Even just quickly paging through the six images, the viewer will notice how the images are made to look similar and resemble each other; all having a warm tone, hiding the neck region and some hair, and models displaying a neutral expression. Every image is lacking signs to point the viewer to one or the other gender. Looking at the fifth image in the series, the model has red, fuller lips which are more associated with females, yet the structure of their face is squarer like a male’s. In image three, the model has a flat, larger forehead and wideset eyes like a male’s, but again the fuller lips and defined cheekbones point towards

Show More
Related

  • Linda Scott's Reading the Popular Image and Kathryn Kish Sklar's Hull House in the 1890’s

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    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, ...

    Read More

  • Masculinity In The Village Blacksmith By Thomas Hovenden

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    While America was just in its infancy during the late eighteenth century and into the nineteenth century, expanding and competing for its own national identity, there were ideals of manhood competing for dominance amidst the chaos. A couple of notions of masculinity were brought to the New World straight from Europe; the idea that men were to work hard for success and value family, while others maintained wealth and landownership as the characteristics of a man. However, the eminence of industrialization soon made these notions obsolete. Without these longstanding notions, American men were left in a crisis without an identity. It is within this framework that specific paintings serve as material expressions and vehicles for gendering beliefs and constructs.

    Read More

  • How We Learn in John Berger's Ways of Seeing

    802 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even today, despite much debate, we live in a patriarchal society—we live in a world ruled by men and their thoughts, feelings and ideals. Women are a large part of a man’s life, and there are standards and inferences made about them. Berger explains man’s view of its counterpart through art. The earliest depiction of nudity is in art surrounds the biblical story of Adam and Eve. In the tale, Eve is pictured as a temptress and because of her rebellion against God; she is a lesser being. This is what kicked off the prejudice against the female race. The discrimination reflected in society by the roles women are given in the world. They are objects owned by men. Women are expected to clean, bake, cook and please their men in anyway possible. They do not hold jobs; their job is to obey and dote on their husbands. Women are passive members in art, so they become ...

    Read More

  • Hegemonic Masculinity in American Society

    1499 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mosse, L George. The Image of Man: The Creation of Modern Masculinity. New York: Macmillan publishers, 1996.

    Read More

  • Artist Exploring Socially Sensitive Subjects: Sex

    1042 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...e sexual union between him and the woman. The couple is also wearing jewelry that symbolizes their sexual power and union as a whole. This particular piece of art shows how the physical appearance of a human is not needed to show sexual characteristics. The pieces are completely different in appearance, but the idea of sexual representation is fully shown throughout each piece.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles in Society

    2016 Words  | 5 Pages

    The clusters of social definitions used to identify persons by gender are collectively known as “femininity” and “masculinity.” Masculine characteristics are used to identify persons as males, while feminine ones are used as signifiers for femaleness. People use femininity or masculinity to claim and communicate their membership in their assigned, or chosen, sex or gender. Others recognize our sex or gender more on the basis of these characteristics than on the basis of sex characteristics, which are usually largely covered by clothing in daily life.

    Read More

  • Bryan Stevenson's Identity: The Power Of Identity

    834 Words  | 2 Pages

    Identity is primarily described primarily as what makes a person who they are. While it is seen as an individual asset, one’s identity can be shaped and persuaded not only by life experiences, but by society as well. Bryan Stevenson speaks on several controversial issues and proclaims certain societal problems and the typical behaviors noticed in response to them. How one approaches the issues that are spoken about may expose their true identity. Stevenson argues that how one reacts to racial inequality within the criminal justice system may regulate their identity. In addition to that, how dealing with the nation’s history may force a growth on one’s identity, eventually bringing peace and acceptance to the nation. Lastly, how one views the

    Read More

  • Portrayal of Masculinity in Art

    598 Words  | 2 Pages

    Looking into Brett Eberhardt’s drawing, “Introduction”, the thought of sexuality barely crossed my mind. After talking to Mr. Eberhardt about his choice to draw a self-portrait, he stated that he wanted to depict a human, male or female. It just so happens that he draws himself best. Eberhardt’s drawing is nostalgic in the depiction of curiosity. The suggestion of curiosity plays with many topics that range from childish curiosity to sexual curiosity. So I wondered how his piece might be considered a masculine drawing and how masculinity has been portrayed...

    Read More

  • Identity And Identity: The Influence Of Identity

    1554 Words  | 4 Pages

    When thinking about Identity, it might be easy to just say that is “who we are”, or it’s just me. An identity is much more than that though. I like to think of it as a living puzzle. There are hundreds or thousands of pieces that come together to form the complete identity, or the complete “you”. I say living because an identity grows throughout the years and even changes depending on the situation. There is a multitude of influences that goes into forming a person’s identity some of which a person chooses and others they don’t. Family members and guardians are a primary source of learning when a child is young. As a person grows, the sphere of influence broadens to include mentors, media, and school. This identity is then a lens through which

    Read More

  • Identity in James Baldwin’s Stranger in the Village and Zora Neale Hurston’s How it Feels to be Colored Me

    1733 Words  | 4 Pages

    Identity in James Baldwin’s “Stranger in the Village” and Zora Neale Hurston’s “How it Feels to be Colored Me”

    Read More

  • Identity Theory Essay

    941 Words  | 2 Pages

    1. The identity theory (reductive materialism) states that mental states are brain states. Basically each mental state/process is the same as the physical state or process(es) within the brain. What they say about the mind is that the mind is just the brain and mental states are brain states.

    Read More

  • Ways Of Seeing Venus And Cupid

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    People use art to display the beauty found in the world and, because of this, women have been subject to objection through paintings and photography all throughout history. Whether it is a commissioned oil painting from the 17th century or an advertisement from the 20th century, there will always be some type of image that objectifies women. In the book Ways of Seeing John Berger states that a woman “comes to consider the surveyor and surveyed within her as the two constituent yet always distinct elements of her identity as a woman,” (Ways of Seeing 46). Berger is saying that women know they are seen as an object purely because they are women. Women in paintings and photography are objectified for the pleasure of the viewer, they are illustrated for the surveyor’s specifications, so in essence the picture is a better representation of the owner than the subject.

    Read More

  • Feminist Theorist Judith Butler and Gender Transformation

    2388 Words  | 5 Pages

    To begin this paper off, in figure “a” below, there is a photographic transition of myself as the woman I usually embody in my day to day interactions, and how I transition from a female to the male b...

    Read More

  • Social Media Influence On Pop Culture

    1245 Words  | 3 Pages

    A man is supposed to be more masculine, have a more defined jawline, and have tough skin from a social media perspective. For the picture portraying the female I also chose the left, that’s because of how social media portrays the perfect woman, soft, thin, and less masculine. There was a test done surveying 200 men and women (ages 18-25). Before the test was conducted, there was a survey to see who had Internet access, or any type of social media access.

    Read More

  • Personal Identity In The Bluest Eye By Toni Morrison

    543 Words  | 2 Pages

    As citizens of the contemporary world, we apt to regard ourselves as unique and nonpareil individuals. We regard our personal identity as something to which we alone have privileged access and in which we are especially entitled to speak. We, citizens of the free world, think of ourselves as singular beings, who are capable of self-knowledge and who can differentiate between the authentic self and the unauthentic self. So therefore with this self-knowledge, we tend to project our own belief onto the less fortunate. In The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, one of the main characters, Pecola Breedlove wants blue eyes. In the 21st century, this is possible, but in 1941, the dream was not feasible. Pecola bought into the conviction that a person who has blond hair and blue eyes can achieve success because of their appearance.

    Read More

More about Identity And Identity In Self-Portrait, By Robert Mapplethorpe

Open Document