Using at least three examples from either fashion or advertising imagery, discuss some ways in which photographs play a part in constructing identity.
‘In recent decades, photography has succeeded in somewhat revising, for everybody, the definitions of what is beautiful and ugly’ (SONTAG, S. 1979). The power of photography influencing the media has changed the perception of identity through the way it portrays fashion and advertising and the creation of the ‘ideal body’. It has led people to believe that identity is no longer about where you live or where you’re from, as one has the ability to construct their own identity through their appearance and outgoing personalities in order to belong to certain social groups, suggesting that identity has become a form of personal advertising. As photography plays a quintessential part in the media, an illustrated discussion into how photography plays a part in constructing identity with the use of sexuality, gender, identity and consumerism will conclude with the importance of this.
Figure 1.
The image above was part of an advertising campaign for ‘Sloggi’, whereby the main focal point is the four female subjects modelling the Company’s underwear products in a natural environment. It becomes apparent that the primary target audience is for young women with a secondary of men as the consumerism concept focusses on the way the body would look if a woman was to wear the products. It gives the impression that women would feel more sexually attractive and acquire a confidence to be almost nude in the outdoors, additionally to men wanting to see their partners in this way. The use of younger subjects makes reference to the ‘ideal body’ created by the media and is often portrayed through the use of sexuality and gender. The positioning of each subject appears highly sexual as they are all wearing high heeled shoes which generally holds a sexual connotation as they lengthen the legs and make them appear more attractive. To add, the subjects used are all standing with their feet apart and the female on the left shows a slight hint of breast which almost teases the viewer. The three models to the right hand side have arched their backs thus emphasising their bottoms, again reiterating the consumerism of the image. A sense of perfection is evident especially regarding the overall look of the female subjects as they appear to resemble a ‘Barbie’ doll. There appears to be no marks or blemishes on any of the subjects and the shine on each of the bodies gives a plastic-like appearance. The females used are all the same shape, colour and appear to be wearing the sae high heeled shoes inferring that everybody should be the same with the same ‘ideal body’. Although there are aspects of a strong female independence within the image, the use of long hair conveys a sense of femininity which aids in differentiating between the two sides of the personalities. Long hair is known to be one of the secondary sex characteristics for a female; these characteristics are ‘features that distinguish the two sexes of a species, but they are not directly part of the reproductive system’ (WIKIPEDIA 2013). With this said, it can be seen that there are two clear hair styles within the image; two females have straight hair whereas the other two have curly hair portraying a mixture connotational aspects of sexuality and gender.
The subject to the left of the image is positioned on an angle and facing the viewer, subsequently bringing a sense of temptation to the image as more of the body can be seen. Furthermore, this particular subject is holding a basket of apples underneath a tree, reinforcing the theme of temptation as it links to religious creationism with Adam and Eve ‘focussing on the ways that representation contributes to changing definitions of gender and sexuality’ (SHINKLE, E. 2008). As before, with Adam and Eve, the female is perceived as vulnerable and easily led, whereas this image shows a sense of independence with the inclusion of three of the subjects carrying a ladder. The ladder, generally a connotation of masculinity; tends to refer to stereotypical physical activities of a breadwinner such as construction. Contrary to the evolution of female independence, the ladder can be seen as a metaphorical representation of how females have become more equal to men in recent decades. However, instead of feeling objectified, many women similarly to those in the image, feel as though they have gained power and confidence in showing off their bodies linking back to the theme of identity.
Figure 2.
This image was one of many featured in an advertising campaign in 2007, showing what many women’s rights groups called ‘fantasy rape’, however due to the sexual controversy of this, the campaign was eventually cancelled (THINK FASHION. 2007. weblog post). Although the intended purpose of the advertisement is promoting the female’s high heeled shoes suggesting that the intended target audience is young female adults potentially up to the age of 30, the main focal point is the sexuality composed through one male subject holding down a female along with three other male watching. Since the ‘sexual revolution’ in the early 1970s whereby it became socially acceptable to become more promiscuous outside of heterosexual, monogamous relationships, erotic imagery has become more popular throughout the advertising world thus initiating curiosity and sexual identities. Using a guerilla advertising technique, the image forces viewers to consider the more violent and humiliating side of sexual activity thus provoking imagery of fetishism and voyeurism. Mulvey states (2007, p117) ‘voyeurism is a way of seeing that is active; it distances and objectifies what is looked at. It is controlling and even sadistic’ reverting back to the traditional ideology of male dominance and female submission. The advertised product itself holds reference to bondage and submission with the inclusion of chains around the ankle part of the shoe and demonstrating similarities to the first image with the use of high heels for objectification. Despite this, the strong structure of the female positioning with legs firmly closed and facing away from the main male subject can be argued to imply that she holds full control over all four of the men. In addition, bright red lipstick tends to hold connotations of danger, lust and passion, initiating a consumerism concept that the ‘siren’ female, enticing any man she desires, again following the theory of the ‘ideal body’. The styling of the hair in the ‘Dolce & Gabbana’ advertisement is dissimilar to the ‘Sloggi’ advertisement as it does not hold any connotations of femininity nor does it hold any importance. The ‘up-do’ hairstyle with parts cropped out of frame ensures the viewer to focus on the rest of the subject as well as the fact that this concept does not seem to focus of the sexual objectification of the female in the same way as the first image; it portrays her as something to be played with and not merely looked at. Furthermore the image does not focus on the female body as a whole as only one side is seen that is partly covered by the male towering over her. However the use of a slim, toned model provokes thoughts of the ‘ideal body’ that also arose in the first image. The shine of the skin enhanced by the use of oil on both male and female subjects, accentuates the toned bodies that in turn, seduces the viewer into the consumerist mindset.
Despite the fact that the advertised product is for a female audience, there are male subjects used and a conceptualistic identity has been created for them too. It is initially obvious that they are portrayed as dominant and empowered characters as they surround the female, bringing themes of stereotyping and again; the ‘ideal body’. Similarly to they way that females are objectified within advertising, the same technique applies to men. As can be seen from the advertisement the males appear to be on trend and almost perfect looking, conveying the idea that if the male viewers were to buy the ‘Dolce & Gabbana’ products, they too would become more attractive to the type of female that is portrayed in the image. However there are thoughts that photographing subjects in a semi naked form shows weakness, which reinforces the idea that the imagery holds connotations that the female subject is in control of the males. To contrast this, there are two fully clothed male subjects surrounding her, which completely contradicts this theory. It may be fair to say that this image portrays identity through the battle of the sexes for equality, igniting ideas that men are overall dominant while the females fight for power but still remain in control, even when objectified.
Figure 3.
In complete contrast to the previous two images, this final image is taken from a 2011 fashion editorial ‘Black Women in Hollywood’ in Essence Magazine featuring actress, Amber Riley. Instead of following the ideology of the ‘ideal body’, the magazine has chosen a curvier woman. Appearance plays a large part in the construction of identity, women are increasingly under pressure from the media about their size and shape. Nancy Hayssen, a writer and former plus size model states “We’re being lied to everyday. The fashion industry and Hollywood have spread the myth that men want skinny, anorexic-looking women […] The truth is it’s plus size or curvy women who are considered beautiful.” Hayssen also believes that eighty percent of men are more attracted to a curvy woman compared to fifteen percent preferring an average size and only five percent in favour of skinny women. Ted Polhemus states ‘it goes without saying that the ideal body is the source of untold human misery […] The ideal body is always outside an individual’s control’ (1988, p.8) therefore by using a young, recognisable female, the editorial would appear to target young females to demonstrate ‘real women’ and how curves are attractive in a way that almost relieves self esteem issues caused by the manipulation of the media. Furthermore, by featuring black women in magazines it reinforces the idea of a multicultural society and demonstrates to young people that colour and race are a part of todays social identity as well a personal identity. The chosen image portrays Riley’s curves in a figure hugging, sparkly dress and brightly coloured shoes which infers that her personality is outgoing and comfortable in her body. As her figure appears to be an hourglass with everything in proportion, it is apparent that she has ‘child bearing hips’ which is a quality that men are attracted to when looking for women. Additionally, the facial expressions and body language of the subject suggest a feeling of liberation and fun, with no sense of objectification. Her sex appeal is apparent through her personality and demeanour rather than provocative posing and suggestive facial expressions although the subject is showing some cleavage which could be seen as sexual teasing and temptation. This type of obvious sexuality appears innocent as it is not the main focal point of the image, it seems to follow the saying ‘if you’ve got it, flaunt it’. Further to this the subject, similarly to the first image, has long, volumised and curly hair demonstrating the femininity of the personality. Her arms are open indicating that she is approachable, open, outgoing and fun.
Even though all of these three images are different, they do hold certain similarities throughout the themes discussed. The first two images appear to have strong sexual themes in order to create the identities, although the ‘Sloggi’ advertisement has a playful innocence to it. Although this image bares almost all of the female form, it is apparent that the image is not as sexual as the ‘Dolce & Gabbana’ advert. The objectification of the female subjects in the ‘Sloggi’ advert is merely just for voyeuristic purposes in order to incur feelings of desire to look like the chosen subjects whereas the ‘Dolce & Gabbana’ image conveys the objectification of a woman in the form of sexual use with the darker side of sexuality being highlighted. The fashion editorial with Amber Riley portrays sexuality through the confidence and personality instead of provocative positioning thus providing a strong contrast with the other two advertisements. This could insinuate that fashion advertorial highly revolves around the theme of sex and sexual identity whereas fashion editorial basis the consumerism concept around other identity aspects. Furthermore, it is noticeable that from the three chosen images, females appear to be used more frequently than males possibly due to the fact that they are easily objectified and more desirable by both male and female viewers, as most heterosexual men and certain homosexual men enjoy looking at the female form and the majority of females seem to long for the ideal body. The identities in each of the images are portrayed through a lifestyle choice; ‘Sloggi’ appears to demonstrate the female form being able to support themselves independently and have confidence in their bodies to show them off to the world yet still hold the femininity of a woman. ‘Dolce & Gabbana’ differs in the way it portrays desire with wanton behaviour suggesting that unleashing sexual fantasies and erotic behaviour is socially acceptable and dressing in such way will allow consumers to explore their own sexual identities. Finally, the Amber Riley editorial reiterates that sexuality body shape does not define a person’s identity; the way in which a person is perceived is due to the personality and how they present themselves to the world.
Although all three images portray different identities, they may not be completely accurate, especially for the first two as advertorial images are mostly manufactured. In photography, images are created around a concept and therefore do not fully represent the subject’s actual identity. Even though the female subjects in each of the images appear confident and independent, this is potentially not the case; the viewer only sees what the photographer wants them to believe. However there is the theory that it takes certain traits to act in this way; to stand nude in front of other people, to tower over a female body in a way that connotes a sexual predator or even to wear tight fitting clothes when one’s body does not succumb to society’s preferences, therefore it can never be completely clear about whether the portrayal of identity is created or in fact real.
In conclusion, it would be fair to say that photography plays a definitive role in the construction of identity through the fashion world both in editorial and advertorial images. They are identities created both by real identities and conceptual ones. Photography allows the viewer to fall into a world of fantasy about what is reality and what the media believes is reality. Furthermore, the four themes that run through the ideology of identity seem to revolve predominantly around sexuality and gender in order to appeal to the viewer when advertising products as noticed in both the ‘Sloggi’ and ‘Dolce & Gabbana’ advertisements. However fashion editorials seem to counteract this as discovered in the Amber Riley image which seems to focus on identity itself in order to attract consumers. As advertising images are found more frequently in all areas of the media and everyday life, it seems to teach audiences from a young age that this ‘ideal body’ is the only socially acceptable identity and focusses mainly around body shapes and sizes where only certain audiences will see the fashion editorials hosted in magazines that feature articles on ‘real women’ and the way that identity should be perceived.
Reference List
AKHOLIC 88. 08 May 2013. Sex in Advertising. [wiki]. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_revolution (April 2013)
ANGELA, A. 07 March 2007. Dolce & Gabbana Cancel Controversial Ad Campaign. [weblog post]. Think Fashion. http://www.thinkfashion.com/blogs/stylosity_style_scene/archive/2007/03/07/110045.aspx (March 2013)
NETSCAPE. Netscape.[WWW]. http://webcenters.netscape.compuserve.com/love/package.jsp?name=fte/curvywomen/curvywomen. (April 2013)
POLHEMUS, T. 1988. Body Styles. Luton. Lennard Publishing
ROSE, G. 2007. Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to the Interpretation of Visual Materials. 2nd ed. London: Sage
SHINKLE, E. 2008. Fashion as Photograph: Viewing and Reviewing Images of Fashion. New York. I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd
SONTAG, S. 1979. On Photography. London: Penguin
N/A. 22 April 2013. Sexual Revolution. [wiki]. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_revolution (April 2013)
Figures
- SANJEEV.NETWORK. 2009.
- KLEIN, S. 2007. Dolce & Gabbana Spring Collection. [online image]. http://www.thegirlrevolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/dgad.jpg (February 2013)
- BANKS, D. 2011. Black Women in Hollywood. [online image]. http://madisonplus.com/style-file/amber-riley-in-essence-magazine/