Blog Entry #2- Vogue Italia

  In the month of June 2011, Vogue Italia came out with a curvy ladies issue, with "plus size" models gracing the cover, as well as having their own sexy black and white spread. Although this is Italian and not American, it is definitely an awe inspiring step up for curvy women in the high fashion industry. The models are depicted in a lush surrounding, posing in Dolce and Gabanna lingerie, or no clothes at all. Although beautifully photographed and very aesthetically pleasing in regards to seeing voluptuous women in a high fashion magazine, I couldn't help but ask, where is the fashion???

 There was definitely a process of negotiation as I interpreted these images, from Viewers Make Meaning pg 57 "negotiated reading is interpretation being a mental process of acceptance and rejection of meanings." The first conflict I had was that the models were stripped down to lingerie for the cover, with one model even being strategically posed so her legs could be spread open. The images inside the magazine are very similar, the models lounging nude or mostly nude, straddling a chair, bending over on top of a table, etc..so once again, where is the fashion?

okay, perhaps there were good intentions in wanting to include "plus-sized" women in the fashion industry, but there is no doubt that these models have been styled for the male gaze, with an emphasis on the body and sexiness being the only way "plus size" models can be portrayed. I put "plus size" in quotations because these women look normal and healthy to me- curvy and beautiful. The ideology in our culture that skinny=beautiful is being challenged here, but I don't think it is quite enough.

why does a certain minority group or body size always need a special photo shoot or chance to be seen and appreciated in the fashion and advertisement world? Don't get me wrong, I was really happy to see this spread, it is an excellent start, but I hope women of all colors shapes and sizes can start being incorporated into all aspects of the media/advertisements/fashion idustry ( without objectification OR sexual subjectification)

Blog Entry #1 GQ and the male gaze

When coming across this ad in GQ the other day (I NEVER read GQ or any magazines for that matter, but I was on the search for something juicy to criticize), I couldn't help but be disgustingly reminded of the male gaze and the quote from Ways of Seeing pg 47, "Men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at." Which further led me to delve deeper into women objectification and the male gaze, particularly when picking apart this ad.

This photo made me feel uncomfortable for a number reasons, the first being that the female model (Kate Upton) looks as if shes been thrown in the dirt by this man who is aggressively standing over her and seems to be angrily ripping his shirt off. She appears submissive, her legs slightly opening, her body is arranged for the man standing over her. He is active, she is passive (look familiar?!) Another thing to point out is that she is looking over her shoulder staring back at the spectator, her expression rather barren, while the man is only focused on her. She is responding to the spectator as an object being acted upon.

The male gaze is very apparent here. The females sexual passion is minimized, as she becomes just a hot blonde in a tiny bathing suit laying in the dirt and waiting to be sexually dominated.