How We View Models.... Is it about Beauty or Power?

When you see photos of female models in magazines and adverts they are often posed in submissive ways, touching their faces, turning their heads to the side. They are also often posed in suggestive ways with fingers in their mouths, laying open on beds or couches etc, although the products advertised and the magazines featuring these images are directed at women these images are normally directed at men. Brands such as American Apparel often feature half naked woman in their advertisements, although the advertisement is supposedly about the clothes more often or not you can't clearly see the item of clothing being featured.

Natalie Croquet a former fashion photo editor has teamed up with photographer Daniel Schweizer recreated a series of fashion campaigns by french brands using ordinary women. The project 'SPOOF' aims to create examination of 'identity' and 'femininity' in the advisement industry.

The concept of gaze is one that deals with how the audience view the people presented, for a feminist it can be thought of in three ways; how men look at women, how women look at themselves and how women look at other women. 'In 1975 Laura Mulvey came up with the term 'Male Gaze' she believed that the audience is put in the perspective of a heterosexual male. The Male gaze occurs when the camera puts the audience in the perspective of a heterosexual male by for instance lingering over  the curves of a womans body. The woman is usually displayed on two levels either as an erotic object within the film or a spectator watching the film. The man emerges as the dominant power within most films.

Georgia Mai Jagger for Lui Mag 2013
Photographer- Terri Richardson

Mulvey believed that women should enjoy the attention of attracting the gaze but thought that in film women are typically viewed as objects because of the control of the camera (and therefore the gaze) comes from the assumption that heterosexual men are the default target audience for most film genres.' Hamilton.K, 2014, Laura Mulvey and The Male Gaze Theory, Viewed 12th Oct 2015, http://katiehamilton25.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/the-male-gaze-theory.html

Terri Richardson is a world famous fashion photographer, he shoots campaigns for designers such as Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford and Yves Saint Laurent and done work for large magazines such as Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair and Harpers Bazaar. He is known for his sexual photos and over the years he has been accused of using his influence to coerce young models to engage in undesired sexual behaviours and poses during his shoots. His campaign shoots have caused a lot of controversy in the industry.

Yolanda Dominguez recreating an image

In 2011 Yolanda Dominguez recreated poses from fashion magazines in the middle of the streets during normal situations. Her aim with this was to try and express how many women feel about the images of women they see in the media - absurd, artificial, a hanger to wear dresses and bags, only concerned about being skinny and beautiful. She wanted to show how women don't identify with this type of woman. She used poses to represent how absurd they are in real context, showing how they seem dead, twisted and pulled into positions. These artificial models are the only reference girls have and many want to be like them but this is not natural and is causing many disorders (eating, mental and behavioural). It also makes you ask questions about why men are never pulled into positions like this? Maybe it has something to do with most successful fashion photographers being men?
Alderson.R, 2011, Yolanda Dominguez, Viewed 12th Oct 2015, http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/yolanda-dominguez


During our photography lesson we recreated some fashion images, this was to show how unnecessary, absurd and provocative some of these campaigns have become. Working in groups we each took it in turns being the model and directing the model.
As the model i felt slightly uncomfortable being watched and moved around by so many people but i found it easier being the model than the director. As the director i felt very uncomfortable asking people to get into all sorts of suggestive positions, i felt like invading their personal space. Others in my group felt the same way but a few said they preferred to direct than be a model as being in front of the camera made them very uncomfortable.
If i were to redo this challenge i would give myself time to prepare, rather than being thrown straight in. I would select a few better poses and try and make the models look more alike by giving them the same makeup, i would also bring in some lighting equipment and a camera.