Montage: Activity 1

Briefly discuss why you think painters of the Victorian period might have criticized these early photomontages and why the pictures were popular with the general public. (This technique of piecing together separate images to create one picture is again very popular with both artists and the media).
What two reasons can you think of for this revival of an old technique?

 

I believe that painters of the Victorian Era criticized these images because they were manipulated by using that technique of piecing together separate images, and merging them into one. I think that photo manipulation is still considered art, even though these images did not come to be naturally. I feel that these types of techniques have been revived because they give art a broader definition. No longer do your photos have to be simple, and you can create anything you want with your photography. I also feel that people have become more creative as the dawn of technology was approaching. Before photo paper, photos were only developed on glass and sheets of metal. Then, they went from printing photos in black and white to using color. I'm sure that in the future, there will be more advanced ways to create art.

Self Image: Activity 2

Find images in the media, which have been used to represent attractive and unattractive aspects of the human face. Examine and record carefully the photographic techniques used to accentuate both these qualities, drawing up a list that relates to the images you have found. List the physical characteristics that we have come to admire in both the male and female face and write 100 words in response to the following questions:

Do you believe that media images or public opinion are responsible for the characteristics of beauty becoming universal stereotypes?

Do you believe people admiring media images of glamorous models can do any harm?



This image shows both the attractive and unattractive aspects of the female face in specific. If you were to look at this picture, which photo would you find to be more appealing? Most would say the photo on the right is, because she is wearing makeup. Simple things like makeup can drastically affect the way women look at themselves. Another thing in the media nowadays that can affect a woman's view on herself are the commercials that are played on television. I believe that the media depicts is responsible for women feeling unattractive because, in all reality, not every woman on the planet is a size zero, nor do they have flawless skin, straight teeth, or enhanced body features. Our society is forced to believe that if they conform to what society considers to be attractive, that they will "fit in." Women, especially, are most easily swayed to do whatever it takes to make themselves feel better, whether that be going through dangerous plastic surgery, using products that promise impossible results, and caking themselves with so much makeup that they've lost who they truly are. For example, if you look at a Victoria's Secret commercial, all of the models' have their ribs popping out, and are wearing so much makeup, yet somehow, nearly all women want to look like them. We try so hard to be more like the people on television, that sometimes, it comes with a heavy price to pay. There are a number of young women with eating disorders, due to them wanting so badly to be thin, and "attractive." Not only this, but there are also many risks with any type of reconstructive surgery, yet people look past them, only to change their appearances, and feel better about themselves. The media has nearly destroyed the true concept of beauty. No longer is it about the beauty found on the inside that counts, all that matters is what you see on the outside.

Self Image: Activity 3

Consider some of the social pressures that you think may shape your behavior and personal image. List the images most commonly associated with the categories or ‘boxes’ you have already listed in Activity 1.

How have you responded to social pressures to conform by adopting an appearance that relates to the categories that you feel you have placed in or have chosen?

I couldn't find many pictures that depicted the categories that I am considered to be in. These two are the ones that describe me most, and how I would be classified. My "style" is classified as "emo", dark, or some may even dare to say gothic. I don't believe that I am any of those things, so I typically try to brush off whatever people say about me, and tell them not to judge a book by its cover.

Self Image: Activity 1

What follows is a list of categories that serves to define and divide us. Make a personal list of the categories you belong to or have conflict with and visual symbols that are associated with each. Aspirations and expectations should also be listed.

• Age/generation - is can dictate levels of independence afforded to the individual.
• Gender - Our sex affects the way we are treated by some individuals.
• Race - Prejudice and perceived racial superiority can affect hopes and aspirations.
• Religion - Moral codes and ideologies that serve to guide, unite and divide.
• Class or caste - A classification that an individual may never escape from.
• Personality - Extrovert and introvert are classifications of personality.
• Intelligence - educational establishments, based on IQ, often segregate us.
• Political persuasion - Left wing or right wing. Each carries its own ideology.

• Age/generation - I am a teenager. I'm to the point where I am almost an adult, but still quite young.
• Gender - Female.
• Race - I am half mexican, white, and 1/8th Yaqui indian.
• Religion - Growing up, my family never enforced a religion. As I got older, I looked into what religion best described my beliefs, and found that I'd be considered an Agnostic.
• Class or caste - My family would be considered middle class, or average. We aren't rich enough to buy a new car every far, but we do have the basic necessities, and then some.
• Personality - I consider myself to be soft-spoken, and kept to myself, until I find myself around people that I am comfortable with.
• Intelligence - I don't consider myself to be a genius, but I do have enough common sense to make me successful in life.

• Political persuasion - Politics don't interest me. I don't understand them, so I don't make much of an effort to further my knowledge in them.