Tuesday, 31 December 2013

What Artefact?

The topic I chose for Assignment one was The Female/Male gaze. 

I decided to make a few pages of a magazine to portray the female/male gaze, as a magazine is the perfect way to depict the female/male gaze. It shows how females are seen as sex objects in a magazine, where generally there would be a male photographer, It also shows how most magazines advertise make-up and the latest fashion for women, giving a thought that for a woman to be beautiful, they need the latest fashion and make-up. Most women in magazines are celebrities with thin bodies, and models who are no more than a size 8, giving the impression to women that in order for them to be beautiful, they have to have similar body shapes, the latest fashion and make-up. 

Alternatively, some magazines also portray men as sex objects, charting them according to how 'sexy' or 'good-looking' they are. They are not dressed as seductive as women, but are still portrayed and there to be stared at by women. However, as women are photographed, a male can generally be told as behind the camera lens, whereas men can be photographed by men because they are not modelling in magazines, they are pictures taken from the paparazzi.  

As my literature review debate sided mostly with the female gaze, females most looked at by men, I decided to do the majority of my magazine pages based on that. Having most pages showing the latest fashion for women, with advertisements of make-up, and photos of females modelling. I would only have one or two pages depicting the male gaze, where I would mirror glamour magazines '100 sexiest men'.

Therefore, a magazine would be the best artefact to portray the female/male gaze.