Culture Feminism and Fashion - Essay Example

Culture Feminism and Fashion affiliation Feminism is a collection of ideologies that share a common goalto establish and achieve equal cultural, political and personal rights for women. A feminist self-defines as an advocate for the rights. The feminist theory aims to understand the nature of gender inequality by examining the social roles of women and the lived experiences. Theories have been developed in various disciplines in order to give a response to issues like the social construction of sex and gender. There are some forms of feminism that have been criticized for taking into account the white and middle class perspectives. This has resulted in the creation of ethnically specific forms of feminism (Bruzzi & Gibson, 2013). Feminist movements are continuing in their campaign for many women’s rights. This incorporates the voting rights as well as the right to hold public office. Feminists have always worked to promote bodily autonomy and integrity as well as protecting women and girls from rape and sexual harassment and other forms of domestic violence. There are varying views on sexuality among the many different feminist groups. Their attitudes towards the female sexuality take different directions. Matters like sex industry and sexual representation in the media and some issues relating to consent to sex under situations of male chauvinism have been contr0versial among the feminists. The debate reached its epitome in the late 1980s. This came to be known as feminist sex wars. These have also led to the emergence of feminism psychology. It emerged as a critique of the dominant male outlook on psychological research where it was only the male perspectives that were studied with all male subjects. As women secured degrees and doctorates, their issues were introduced as legitimate study topics. The psychology emphasizes social context and qualitative analysis (Deats & Lenker, 2001). Many projects have cropped up to catalogue the feminist influence. An example of such is the Psychology’s feminist voices. The feminist groups have come up with terms like ant fashion. The term refers to various styles of dress and which are explicitly against the fashion of the day. Anti-fashion designs may show an attitude of indifference or may be rising from practical goals that make fashion a secondary priority. The term can be used some times for styles championed by high profile designers. The designers make encourage trends that fail to follow the mainstream fashion of the time. Fashion acts as one of the simplest ways of identifying one self, especially in today’s culture. Fashion provides an avenue for the construction of femininity. The fashion industry is constantly coming up with stereotypes that women are encouraged to achieve. The industry shows how one can attain femininity through dressing mode and other ways altogether. This article focuses on the representations of women in fashion photography, as well as how they are used in the marketing of various products. In this piece of literature, I am going to use photography as an example. I will then focus on women and fashion in daily life and their responses to media imagery. This paper attempts to analyze the theories that have been proposed with regard to gender and representations will assist in the presentation of how femininity is dependent on fashion (Hollows, 2000). Sexuality and femininity are twos sides of a coin. The two do run closely together. When it comes to fashion, it is possible for a woman to lack those characteristics. Nevertheless, it is very hard to markout what determines the way a woman should express sexuality and femininity. There is a dominating notion explained by some scholars is that the female identity is not dependent on the body as a functioning or dysfunctioning system rather, the aspects that make such a body attractive to men are the key factors determining a woman’s sexuality. This implies that men are enticed by the female sexuality (Crane, 2000). These ideas are reflected in the fashion industry. They are influencing articles in magazines, current trends and fashion photography. As a matter of fact the photography industry is dominated by men. In fashion, men control the criterion of advertising and imagery. Consequently, this changes the way in which women’s sexuality is represented. Though that might be a slight generalization, it fails to prove that the feminine ideals sold in the fashion industry are manipulated by men. In turn, this adds a more provocative aspect to a woman’s fashion. The results of this are that the customers may be drawn to viewing women though the eyes of a man, thus women would be encouraged to display their sexuality in an erotic manner. In the advertising and film production world, the images of women have been portrayed in a manner that puts much emphasis in their sexual status (Harris, 2012). Throughout the art history, in the contemporary world of film and advertising, the images of women have been presented in ways that put more emphasis on their status as sexual beings. Figure 1 depicts an image used in the advertising world and also in the comic websites (Funnyartpictures.com, 2015). The position of the man presents a position of power. This image could be considered shocking in most societies. However, it is a simple representation of an extreme version of the many cultural beliefs with regard to men and women. The fact that this image is being shown openly in the internet is a clear sign that the advertisements are so readily accepted as fashion photography. Referring to gender within advertising, many feminist critiques would consider this image as a sign of how women are weak, compared to men. The image is advertising a car model. However, there is a hidden meaning. The hidden meaning is that women are mere objects of sexual pleasure meant for men. Many photographers promote the notion that women are just passive sexual objects. They cause the rejection of the other opposing attitudes. It can be considered that clothing and fashion acts as a means of exhibiting sexism in the culture today thus encouraging women to dress in a sexualized manner in order to please men. In spite of the fact that women might be enjoying feminine dress, generally, the ongoing trends could still be viewed as restrictive, giving a reflection of the ever present status of the female sex in daily life. The vast advertising and images created in the photography industry appear to form a basis around the concept of “women for appearance and men for action” implying that women act and dress to impress men. It is important to look into the idea that when men look at women, the women are seen as objects rather than subjects. Instead of the women gaining confidence from the men looking at them, they start being controlled and molded into an eroticized and de-personalized bodies. The concept would act as a perfect advertising technique within the fashion industry. The information being relayed to women is that: buying the product would get them attention from the men. The claim that media images are always directed to men is also right. It is true that fashion imagery engages with female consumers. It is also true that the imagery attracts the male attention in order to sustain the feminine ideals (Mcrobbie, 2013). Many feminists refer to the camera as a tool of voyeurism and sadism, disempowering those before its gaze. The figure below is a perfect example in support of the statement (Dolcegabbana.com, 2015). The photographer is shown taking the image of the girl. The male photographer in this case is holds the position of power as he holds the camera and gazes upon the girl. On the other hand, the girl is sitting in an unnatural position in order to please the cameraman’s eyes. Therefore, the female in this case is being seen as an object rather that the subject. This would in turn make the woman to lose her confidence. Since the concept is related with the women’s appearances, it does act as a perfect advertising technique within the fashion industry. Since the women get the information that buying the product would attract male attention. Therefore, the product being sold will be associated with the message being proclaimed by the advertisement. Looking at the figure below, the company selling this perfume associates it with the female gender (Tom Ford Online Store, 2015). The message being portrayed is that using such a perfume would make one to be more of a woman. Thus the consumers of the perfume will have the psychological thinking that they will be feminine to a greater degree thus they will opt to buy the perfume. The message being projected by the imagery is clear. But the audience may fail to receive the desired message. Today, consumers are thwarting media images more and more. They are choosing to avoid following the controversial guidelines that are being set by fashion regarding gender and sexuality. People can give their own opinions and not to be led by the media. This has been growing exponentially in years as modernism. Women have already begun to realize what femininity is. Women are also starting to take control of their femininity and are expressing it in their own ways. This is opposed to following what the magazines are telling them (Hooks, 2000). People are actively trying to reduce the power of photographers in fashion and advertising. The number of people, who choose to challenge these ideals, is growing. However, there is a wider range of opinions being expressed. The future of fashion and femininity may be subjected to drastic changes resulting in something ambiguous and personal. The advertisers are then forced to broaden their messages in order to get more customers (Manlow, 2011). Such has begun developing with a new emphasis in some adverts upon the women’s sexual agency. The viewpoint of the sexuality of women has changed, supporting the criteria of explicit imagery. However, the changing in the meanings and messages behind them puts a more positive light on the status of women. In spite of the persistence of demonstrating women as sexually vulnerable in ransom photography, the reality is changing and the women’s status in society (Stewart, 2008). The change is rapid and so is their sexual power. Feminists have a strong belief that fashion was symptomatic of the economic dependence of women on men. Another wave of feminists has sought to rehabilitate fashion as an avenue for self-expression and creativity rather than objectification (Lusty, 2007). It seems that rather than considering sexuality as making women inferior to men, women are starting to use their sexuality through fashion in order to indicate sexual power. Some critics say that the recent moderation of feminist outlooks on fashion has taken place as a result of the feelings of women, less battle against men. Women are allowed to relax and wear what they like. Additionally, it would be considered that fashionable dressing is a complex lexicon where the intention of sexual enticement may be absent or if present, it is important in comparison with other criteria. The changes in attitude are very much to do with women using their sexuality in their favor, it looks like they also steer towards women simply dressing for themselves rather than the male gaze. Though the trends in women’s wear nowadays may still project sexuality, the motivating factors behind the garments are continuously changing. Allowing women to decide for themselves who they want to please (McRobbie, 2009). Conclusion All the images in this article are almost the same. They have one thing in common. They are exposing the body parts of women that make them feminine. Such parts may include the breasts. The images are being used to advertise certain products in the market. However, they do contain a hidden meaning. They are portraying women as mere objects of sexual satisfaction meant for use by men. References Bruzzi, S., & Gibson, P. C. (2013). Fashion Cultures: Theories, Explorations and Analysis. London: Routledge. Crane, D. (2000). Fashion and Its Social Agendas: Class, Gender, and Identity in Clothing. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Deats, S. M., & Lenker, L. T. (2001). Gender and Academe: Feminist Pedagogy and Politics. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. Dolcegabbana.com, (2015). Dolce&Gabbana Official Site and On Line Store - The Spring Summer 2015 Collections. [online] Available at: http://www.dolcegabbana.com/ [Accessed 9 Mar. 2015]. Funnyartpictures.com, (2015). Ads & Signs , Ultimate attraction, funny picture gallery. [online] Available at: http://funnyartpictures.com/pics-funny-stuff/?pictures/signs-ads/ultimate-attraction.html [Accessed 9 Mar. 2015]. Harris, A. (2012). Next Wave Cultures: Feminism, Subcultures, Activism. London: Routledge. Hollows, J. (2000). 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