How self identities are expressed through photography - explorations of gender and sexuality
- Lianne Yu
- May 1, 2024
- 7 min read
“Self-identity is not a distinctive trait, or even a collection of traits, possessed by the individual. It is the self as reflexively understood by the person in terms of her or his biography.” (Giddens, 1991, p.54) At its core, identity is the way we see and express ourselves. Our identities are not fixed, but rather constructed through social interaction, such as class, race, ethnicity, age, sexuality and gender. Photography is a dynamic medium of expression, images influence ideas, belief, behaviours, and ultimately society as a whole around the world. In an age of selfies, both curated and improvised, there are inexhaustible ways to represent ourselves, and even establish self branding.
American contemporary media artist Cindy Sherman, also known as “The Heroine with a Thousand Faces”, spent three years photographing herself in different costumes, wigs and makeup. These photos eventually became a series of 70 black and white photos titled Untitled Film Stills - “Untitled” preserves the ambiguity of these works, and “Film Stills” indicates aspects of contextual references in film. Sherman stars in her own photos, appearing as fictional characters inspired by old Hollywood B films, the 1950s film noir, and neo-realism. She is unrecognisable from one photo to another, changing her appearance to portray various different female character archetypes from the film noir genre, such as femme fatale, damsel in distress, the girl next door etc. It is my belief that Sherman was not interested in genre re-creation, and that she was after a subtle type of female impersonation. American art critic and art theorist Rosalind E. Krauss described Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills as “copies without originals” Although in some photos Sherman seems to channel Cathy O’Donnell and in others Lana Turner, none of her works are reproductions of actual film stills. What she was aiming to create is not a particular movie memory, but the amalgamation of images we concocted ourselves, and in the process she deciphered media codes and conventions that still construct us all.
Through Untitled Film Stills, Sherman shows the audience that women have a multitude of identities. The photos in this series do not only represent the traditionally confined boundaries of feminine characteristics, but they also portray the idea of possibility and the lack of a fixed identity. Sherman subverts expectations by being both behind and in front of the camera. When creating her work, Sherman operates as an actress, director, hair stylist, makeup artist, wardrobe assistant, set designer and photographer at the same time. From jaded seductress to unhappy housewife, she always appears alone in her photos. This depicts a sense of anxiety, melancholy and contemplation, suggesting an internal anguish of these characters. Many photos from this series show circumstances that come across as creepy, uncomfortable, and even alarming. Characters are often put in vulnerable positions, and the audience naturally becomes an inappropriate spectator, thus taking on the role of a voyeur who preys on these helpless female characters. While these photos offer very little backstory or insight into the character, the women are consistently presented as passive, fetishised and an object of the voyeuristic male gaze. (Mulvey, et al, 1975, p.11-12)
In Untitled Film Still #48, we see a woman standing alone on the side of the road with luggage next to her. This connotes that she is waiting for a ride, possibly to hitchhike. In the photo we can only see her back, which implies that she is not aware of being watched. The mise en scene such as the cloudy sky and seemingly endless road further emphasise the ominous nature of this photo. This photo forces the viewer to be an unwilling participant of this narrative, making us feel as if we are the ones posing as a threat to the woman shown.
Women lying down in a passive position is a running theme in Sherman’s works, such as Untitled Film Still #6, Untitled Film Still #34 and Untitled Film Still #52. Women in these photos all present seductively whilst dressed in traditionally considered feminine costumes. Untitled Film Still #6 shows a woman in her underwear while posing provocatively in her bed. However, her facial expression seems to be a parodic interpretation of this scenario. She appears to be embodying a hyper real version of the dreamy, innocent girl next door look. The mismatched tone of her face and body suggests that Sherman is poking fun at the typically passive and feminine representations of women. The production context also indicates that these photos are critical of the male gaze. The fact that Sherman had an active role as the creator means that women are no longer restricted to roles in front of the camera. Sherman’s artwork criticises the production of visuals by men for men by emulating stereotypical female representations from popular films. They are a parody of an objectifying portrayal of women in media and pop culture, curated by an actual woman.
In today’s world of rapid digitalisation, the lines between carefully curated art and improvised social media posts are becoming increasingly blurred. Recognizing a photo as a selfie, rather than a portrait, often requires the audience to interpret the photos in relation to the social, technological and cultural context in which the photo was taken and shared. (Zhao, S., et al, 2018, p.665-682) Cindy Sherman’s series Untitled Film Stills was created between 1977-1979. A time when digital photo editing software such as Photoshop, Lightroom and Facetune have yet to be invented. Although traditional photographic prints could be edited in post production, the progress was drastically different. Altering analog photos was time consuming and required a great amount of practice and skill. The process involved manipulation directly to the print, using various methods and techniques such as dodging and burning, vibrating while exposing, airbrushing, scratching, painting the negatives, etc.
On the other hand, digital editing is a lot more accessible. There are two main types of technologies - apps and software. One of the most used categories of photo editing apps are facial beautification apps. An example of this is Facetune, the app provides a number of beauty filters, allowing its users to apply enhancing effects such as teeth whitening, skin smoothing, erasing blemishes, adding makeup, etc. Facetune and other facial beautifying apps have been criticised for encouraging users to catfish or display an unrecognisable, unrealistic version of themselves on the internet, especially social media platforms. These apps have also been held accountable for motivating users, primarily the younger generation, to seek perfection. The desire to look flawless at all times has been identified as a potential cause of low self esteem, confidence issues and even body dysmorphic disorder.
21 year old photographer and makeup artist Matt Bernstein has recently risen to fame on Instagram. Through the medium of makeup and photography, Bernstein uses his photos as a channel to educate his viewers and followers. He utilises his platform to make lgbtq+ issues accessible to worldwide audiences who would otherwise never be confronted with this content. His motto ‘beauty but make it political’ offers a clear insight into his work - through bright saturated colours and intricate makeup looks, Bernstein generates conversation about sociopolitical issues related to topics such as gender, sexuality, healthcare, abuse, etc. Throughout this process, Berstein is also able to freely express his identity through his photos. Looking at his profile, viewers would most likely immediately notice his love for extravagant nail art and gymnastic poses. He is extremely open about his experiences as a gay person, having recently posted a photo with a quote written using eyeliner which read “why do queer people have to be brave to exist in public? I don’t want to be brave, I just want to be.” (figure 1) The caption also reveals a death threat which he received from someone in his Instagram comments. He shows great vulnerability to his audience, with aims to bring attention to these sensitive subjects and evoke conversations.
Figure 1, 2. Matt Bernstein via Instagram @mattxiv.
Although photographers and artists such as Cindy Sherman and Matt Bernstein are undoubtedly presenting hyper real versions of themselves, treading the line between real and fake. They have successfully shown the audience important components of themselves that make up their identities. Their ways of expressing aspects of gender and sexuality provides relatability, reassuring us that we are not alone in our journeys of self discovery. This further proves that artists almost never have one ‘true’ identity, rather a multitude of identities that they decide to showcase through the medium of photography. The fact that these carefully constructed and exaggerated personas shown are self produced, adds an element of authenticity to their works.
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