In her article "Why Feminism Doesn't Need an Aesthetic (And Why It Can't Ignore Aesthetics)" R.Felski notes that "the ubiquitous androcentric metaphors and myths about creativity ... defined" women "and" artists "as terms that mutually exclude each other ... From romanticism to modernism and postmodernism, the artist's image was closely associated with the ideal of sinful masculinity, while women were considered capable of reproduction and imitation at best". [к сожалению, прямой оригинальной цитаты я не нашла, перевела близко к тексту] In the same article, Felsky describes the three strategies of feminist art. One of them is proving that women's art has artistic value and that is why it should be included into the established art system, not for political reasons. The followers of this strategy believe that such things as, for example, needlework or sketches of family life, are just as significant and important for art; it is simply because of male domination that they have been forced out of the professional
This common interest of postmodern feminists about women’s bodies and how it serves as a “feminine language” to define identity continues to represent explorations, discovery and opinions of the traditional mind and body dualism, the role of sexual analysis in the development of gender and the self as well as the analytical modes of exploration of the body which all in all defines what it means to discuss about postmodern feminist issues in this twenty-first century. For example, in Mislina Mustaffa’s opinion, the female body directly reflects an artistic subjection to what is considered a norm to women in society today. Nevertheless, the artist disagrees with such manner. The entire discovery of what makes a woman a woman in fact lies in the matter other than the body itself. One route of inquiry along these lines concerns reevaluation of the senses and the conservative materials that are fashioned into forms or ideas that define the identities of women today.
In the movie “Fire Eyes,” Soraya Mire creates a personal connection with the audience by choosing to showcase bloody, painful responses rather than solely focusing on multiple retellings of women who experienced circumcision. The few personal stories from the women who experienced circumcision offer powerful additions to the horrifying nature of genital mutilation and how the poorly done operation forever ruins the women’s hygiene and health. The result of Soraya Mire’s choice to only showcase the graphic parts of female circumcision takes away the cultural meaning and importance of the practice. Soraya Mire’s strong opinion on female circumcision relates closely with the Western approach to viewing external cultures and disagreeing with practices that
Tired of being interpreted as subjects by both genders, women artists revolted during the feminist movement with art that reflected women’s lives and experiences. Their goal, as declared by Artist Suzanne Lacy, was ‘to influence cultural attitudes, and transform stereotypes.’ Initially, females were rarely seen as significant artists- their art being considered to be a hobby. The late 1960’s , however, saw an incursion of bold works: the feminist art movement confronted the subordinate roles of women and challenged the way women were viewed as artists and subjects in art. Hannah Wilke, a second generation feminist artist, began her career as a sculptor, using conventional as well as unorthodox materials, such as Cookie Dough, Laundry Lint and Bubble Gum. Later on, she started using photography, performance, sculpture and video to challenge the prevailing notions of sexism, and sexuality.
Personal bonds have a great effect on what we say and do which help us form our opinions, and our opinions define who we are and give us our identity. Smit's portraits hold a universal message, perhaps about the womanly fortitude and determination of women. Media has a fixation on the physical aspects of beauty heralding the lack of identity in women from the media. Faces convey an immense feeling of authority over the viewer Smit uses this in his painting as a way to communicate a broader
She has brought upon the immoral aspect of the business and then she reflects on how exposing her nude body the immoral “river whore” gets sanitized into moral ‘Art’. This is when the second protagonist situation comes in, the models perceptions about the bourgeoisie reactions to what the artist has painted. The model says that “the bourgeoisie will coo at such an image of a river –whore .They call it Art.” Through this the poet shows how perceptions in society about gender change with context .In person, the nude model is a River Whore and on Canvas she is a great piece of ‘Art’ befitting the attention of people like “the Queen of England” who believe that ‘the Art’ is , “Magnificent”! The murmuring and the ogling of the painting at the great museums by the commoners, clearly explains gender bias. Duffy has used a pun on the word ‘hung’ to show how the model feels about it.
Within the economy of beauty, women are judged by their appearance depending on “standards of near perfection,” expect women to have flawless face and figure; yet, at the same time, the standard of beauty varies, and “looking right remains open to interpretation” (Wolf). Therefore, I propose that the utmost purpose of beauty myth is gender discrimination, preventing women from rising in power. Cosmetic surgery, beauty pornography and beauty sadomasochism reinforce and perpetuate the beauty myth, compelling women to accept the beauty myth as social norms, thus gradually undermining female power and implicitly discriminating women. Cosmetic surgery attracts women by making them feel ugly, a similar method used by doctors in hospitals: To gain profits from the patients, doctors tend to make people feel they are sick or having some potential health issues. Similarly, doctors in cosmetic surgery industry have “a direct interest in a social role for women that require them to be sick,” thus encouraging women to improve their appearance by having plastic surgery (Ehrenreich).
So, the fact that the image of women in the advertisement affects the people's expectations in real life does not come as a surprise. However, the modern advertisement puts very high pressure on women by enforcing unrealistic beauty standards that lead to self-objectification, physiological and psychological problems and even self-harm. It is a severe issue that affects women's mental health and thus it should be discussed and solved. Advertisement use visual to attract consumer's attention and persuade them to buy a product (Cortese 65). Surely, the well-known images of men and women and their gender roles in the society are the perfect examples for such a purpose.
Throughout the article Steiner speaks about how visual arts focus on aestheticism using women and ornaments to appeal to our primitive desires, rather than focusing on the meaning of the piece, with the meaning symbolizing the beauty of an artwork. She also states how focusing on the aesthetic aspect of an art piece can be impure due to over sexualizing it or adding unnecessary decorations such as colors to appeal to the viewers, with many paintings and photographs/films using nude women to garner a larger
nevertheless the media may reinforce stereotypical pictures of women and their roles in society. Women and their contribution to the society have always been overshadowed by the news of their hardships and atrocities inflicted upon them. it's indispensable that the print and electronic media present a balanced image of women’s various lives and contributions to society in a ever-changing world. As media has large influence on individuals, it ought to act with additional responsibility before coverage and publishing any news. Portrayal of women that is derogative to their image by media is an evidence of lack of gender sensitivity and has concerned creating them in control of such representation of