Gendertyped
By Dirk HR Spennemann
24 Aug 2009
Gender is a social construct, setting out the roles that women and men are supposed to play in a society. These roles are frequently challenged as much as they are reinforced by people in social power.
But they are also influenced by us, the photographers. Through our eyes we shape the visions of our audience and subliminally influence their perception of the world. And we may do so quite subconsciously. Let me illustrate.
When I decided to write a story on the topic of gender roles, I trawled my image stream and pulled together photos that had already been posted here.
The images shown in this essay have been shot for a variety of purposes: "Absolutely Fabulous", referencing imagery of the 1950s and 1960s, was shot for JPG review story I have planned on my new Gitzo GK1380VQR Vintage tripod. Likewise, the haunting Uniform in death was specifically created for ANZAC Day 2009 (Australia's Remembrance Day). Both images were constructed based on a mental image I wished to achieve.
Some images, such as "Some cake please..." and "urban alienation" were shot purely opportunistically as part of my urban TTV work.
Others are documentary images, where people and setting were predefined by external factors: "I say Cheeeeeeese!" came from a photoshoot I did on cheese making and "Busy" forms part of a JPG mag story on coffee shacks in Anchorage.
Yet others, such as "Taking Aim", "Helping", and "Concentration"were shot as part a year-long photo project on eyes and hands of people around me (see here for JPG story) . Again, setting and subjects / subject matter are semi-random.
None of the images were shot with the specific aim of reinforcing, or challenging gender roles. Most images, possibly with the exception of the title image, "Absolutely Fabulous", are reasonably innocuous.
Yet, when taken as a whole, this body of work takes on a VERY different dimension as it quite strongly reinforces traditional gender roles. I had not expected this revelation and it was quite a wake-up call for me personally.
Undoubtedly, through our eyes and camera captures as we photographers shape the visions of our audience and subliminally influence their perception of the world.
Let's be conscious of how we portray the world! I know, i will be!
2 responses
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Tim Narraway said (25 Aug 2009):
science building at the australian national university? envious of anyone who can make a person into a portrait. Well done
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Dirk HR Spennemann gave props (25 Aug 2009):
Yes Tim, it's the Shine Dome of the Australian Academy of Sciences, near ANU
