The image on the left is one of Cindy Sherman's set of 69 film stills. I believe she made this to comment on the female roles spun out by the media as well as societal complacency perpetuating stereotypical ideas of femininity. These images are all part of narratives that we have absorbed through popular culture's portrayal of women. The viewer derives a storyline from a single photograph, because the stories have been ingrained in the American psyche. The woman is portrayed in these film stills as an inferior being, trapped in a corner of domestic roles, or in a promiscuous position for male voyeurism, based on the playboy spreads Sherman studied. For me, this photograph portrays the annoying disheveled mistress who vulnerably clings to her indifferent lover in the foreground. I believe Sherman was trying to get the audience to realize how contrived these feminine roles are, by posing in them herself in an multitude of cliche roles. She also reveals the cord triggering the camera to further emphasize the artificial nature of the film stills. At the same time, Sherman is not explicit in her message. She does not confront us with blatant feminist critique like Barbara Kruger's accusatory messages in jarring print and image, (picture on the right). The fictional narrative can easily be taken as truth. We can easily pass by this image without even realizing Sherman's critique of the constructed female identity, revealing our unconscious acceptance of these stereotypes. The difficulty to determine her intention forces us to realize the extent of our confinement within conventional roles. I believe Sherman was trying to raise questions. What else have we complacently accepted? How else has the media influenced our mindset in ways we are not even conscious of?
No comments:
Post a Comment