Amber kaplan 251141 601

Amber Kaplan

BA (Hons) Illustration

2016/17

How does feminist art appropriate media originally intended for male consumption in order to subvert the male gaze?

9182 words

Acknowledgements

This dissertation has truly been a feat I would like to thank all the people who made it possible to create.

Performer Lux DeLioux for allowing me to interview her for this body of work.

My mum, Roz Fairclough, for staying up late into the night proofreading this essay.

My Dad, Stuart Kaplan, for lending me all his books on 1970s feminist performance art and gender.

And last but not least absolute ledge, John Berger whose Ways of Seeing I had to read in 2013 and didn’t even begin to understand until 2015, but now my eyes have been opened to many… ways… of… seeing.

Consider this dissertation my way of paying respects.

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Contents List of Illustrations p.4 Chapter 1: Introduction p.5 Chapter 2: Context and Themes p.8 Chapter 3: Case Studies p.17 Chapter 4: Reflective Practice p.28 Chapter 5: Conclusion p.30 Images p.34 Bibliography p.42 Appendices p.46

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List of Illustrations

[fig 1] Francisco Goya (1797-­‐1800)‘The Nude Maja’ / ‘La Maja Desnuda’ [Oil on Canvas] Madrid: Museo Nacional Del Prado [fig 2] Edouard Manet(1863). ‘Olympia’ [Oil on Canvas] Paris: Museum d'Orsay. [fig 3] Carolee Schneemann (1963) Eye/Body [Performance / Photography] [fig 4] Hannah Wilke (1964 – 1982) Starification Object Series [Performance / Photography] [fig 5] Hannah Wilke (1976) Through the Large Glass [Performance / Film] [fig 6] Marcel Duchamp (1915–1923) The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors, Even (The Large Glass) [Foil, Varnish, Oil paint, Wire] Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art [fig 7] Diego Velázquez (1647) Rokeby Venus [oil paint on canvas] London; The National Gallery [fig 8] Damaged Rokeby Venus -­‐ Diego Velázquez, (1647) Damaged by suffragette Mary Richardson in (1914) [fig 9] Photographer unknown (1970) Miss World Protest [Photograph] [fig 10] Guerrilla Girls (1989) ‘Do women have to be naked to get into the met. Museum?’ [fig 11] Penny Slinger (1973) ICU [black and white photograph collage on paper] London: Photographers Gallery [fig 12] Annie Sprinkle (Circa 1985 – 1990) Public Cervix Announcement [Performance Still] [fig 13] Amber Kaplan (2017) Magazine Cover front / Back [print of digital collage/photomanipulation]. Unpublished. [fig 14] Amber Kaplan (2017) Magazine Spread 1 [print of photomanipulation].

Unpublished. [fig 15] Amber Kaplan (2017) Magazine Spread 2 [print of photomanipulation].

Unpublished.

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Chapter 1.

Introduction

There is a recurring theme in feminist art and media that they appropriate the visual language of media intended for the male gaze in order to subvert it. This is an interesting phenomenon, as male orientated media can be deeply problematic in the ways it represents women. Usually it involves reducing a woman to an object, only there to fulfil the male viewer’s sexual desires. This essay is an investigative piece that intends to explore the subversion of the male gaze.

Laura Mulvey’s gaze theory (1975), as well as the theory of ‘The Look’ by Rosalind Coward (2000) will be used as a main basis for my argument, which will also be supported by points made in John Berger’s theories on visual culture surrounding the representation of women (1972). These theories and additional supporting evidence, including points about ‘ideal’ beauty, will be more thoroughly discussed within the context of the argument in chapter two. The theories are written from a feminist perspective, and my research will be conducted from a feminist point of view, given my interest in the representation of women in my creative practice.

Media from all eras intended for the male gaze share common characteristics including themes of dominance over, and sexual passivity of women. These points will also be further discussed in the second chapter, allowing for a discussion of the case studies regarding subversive tactics in relation to these characteristics.

Chapter three will focus on three case studies. I will be exploring the art of Hannah Wilke, particularly on her Starification Object Series (1974 -­‐ 1982) and touching upon other appropriate feminist artists.

The modern concerns of burlesque and its relation to the wider subject will also be examined in this chapter. This is not something people usually think of when

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considering subverting the male gaze as the strip-­‐tease elements of burlesque are assumed to be for a male audience.

The final case study will be an examination of feminist intervention methods. It will be looking at the 1970 Miss World Protest, and touching on some work of the Guerrilla Girls, as well as the ways intervention is used within feminist art amongst other things.

The methodology used within this project involved primary research in the form of informal interviews and surveys with burlesque performers [Appendix 1], along with research of theory and artists from several different secondary sources. A body of practical work, which further explores subversion and points about sexual agency in the field of illustration, has also been created to aid my research process. This will be evaluated in Chapter 4.

The subject of this essay is important as it deals with the problematic practices that can be seen in everyday life. These include the objectification of women in the media; unrealistic beauty ideals and how damaging that can be to young women; and toxic hyper-­‐masculinity and male violence used in order to achieve ‘dominance’.

As previously stated this essay will take a feminist approach to issues, though feminism is not always straightforward when it comes to topics of sexuality.

‘Women’s relationship to their own socially constructed desires has long been a challenge for feminism. In fact, the second-­‐wave of the American feminist movement split over issues related to sexuality. Feminists found themselves on opposite sides of a series of contentious debates about issues such as pornography, sex work, and heterosexuality with one side seeing evidence of gender oppression and the other opportunities for sexual pleasure and empowerment’ (Snyder-­‐Hall, R.C. 2010: 225)

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In some cases throughout the essay, points from opposing feminist views will be considered in relation to the context of the case studies and theories. Though I am personally in favour of a more ‘sex-­‐positive’ brand of feminism.

This dissertation will aim to explore various forms of media, created from a feminist viewpoint, and how they appropriate elements of media originally intended for the male gaze in order to subvert the gaze and challenge patriarchal cultural norms.

Without further ado let’s continue, and venture forth into the theories, contexts and themes that will inform this.

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Chapter 2.

Contexts & Themes Who, What, When, Where, Why, The Male Gaze!

Women’s bodies have been subjected to scrutiny by the general public, and particularly to the criticism of men for centuries. This chapter will outline some of the theories of the male gaze and highlight characteristics of the media’s perpetuation of the objectification of women in modern society, as well as touching on some of the art forms and the practitioners who aim to challenge common misrepresentations of women.

There is a range of media running throughout history that feature images of women intended for male consumption: classical nude oil paintings, pin-­‐up posters of the 1940s and 1950s, the modern ‘lad mag’ such as Playboy or Zoo. Even media not overtly aimed at men still has a male spectator in mind, and it is assumed that the female viewer takes on the perspective of the male viewer. This is proposed in Mulvey’s gaze theory (1975), which relates to film. Gaze theory results from Freud’s theories that people derive pleasure from looking and are scopophilic in nature, which comes down to reducing people to objects and ‘subjecting them to a controlling and curious gaze’ (Mulvey, L. 1975: 806). Mulvey theorises that in a society focused on visual pleasure, women are passive, and men are active. Women are expected to be an object and spectacle to be looked at for the pleasure of a male audience (Mulvey, L. 1975). This theory can be applied to a variety of different media; Rosalind Coward’s ‘The Look’ offers further insight into other elements of western culture. Like Mulvey, she proposes that men are generally in possession of ‘the look’ and as ‘men control the visual media’ (Coward, R. 1991: 33) their perceptions and ideals of women are displayed in the world, as an ‘extension of the male gaze’ (Coward, R. 1991: 34). This can be seen in film, advertising, comics, photography, the art world, and affects women’s position in society in general. Women’s desirability is considered to be something imperative to her being, as women have been taught that their worth lies in their desirability to men, whereas men are taught that their power is what they will be judged on. (Berger, J. 1972)

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‘The saturation of society with images of women has nothing to do with men’s appreciation of objective beauty, their aesthetic appreciation, and everything to do with an obsessive recording and use of women’s images in ways which make men comfortable. Clearly this comfort is connected with feeling secure or powerful’ (Coward, R. 2001: 34)

‘Veiling implies secrecy. Women’s bodies, and by extension, female attributes cannot be treated as fully public, something dangerous might happen’ (Jordanova, L. 1989 in Schneider, R. 1997: 87) In western society parts of the female body and even their existence are censored; both in imagery and in life, functions such as menstruation are hidden, body hair is removed, the female nipple must never be exposed, ‘under the feminine mystique, men were kept ignorant of the details of women’s sexuality and of childbirth […] Menstruation was taboo.’ (Wolf, N. 1991: p.168/169.) It could be that this is because these images are meant to make men comfortable and thus maintain men in a place of power and control (Coward, R. 2001). Anything that challenges the norm is considered taboo, or inappropriate to be shown in society despite being normal functions or features. Breasts are used for everything: to sell products, in ‘lads’ magazines, clothing adverts etc. These hyper-­‐sexualised images of women surround us on a daily basis, and yet there is something taboo about exposing a breast to feed a baby, the natural biological use of a breast. Poet, Hollie McNish points this out in her spoken word poem ‘Embarrassed’:

‘Female breasts banned. Unless they’re out just for show […]

Cos in this country of billboards covered in tits And family newsagent’s magazines full of it W.H. Smith’s top shelves out for men.

Why don’t you complain about them then?

In this country of billboards covered in tits And family newsagents magazines full of it W.H. Smith’s top shelves all out for men, I’m getting worried In case a small flash of flesh might offend’ (McNish, H. 2013)

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From Coward’s point, it could be concluded that breastfeeding, or women choosing to display their bodies on their own accord is seen as ‘wrong’ because it challenges male power, and man’s comfort from being in control. ‘Strict control over women’s sexuality seems to be a characteristic of male dominated societies’ (Coward, R. 2001:35), as previously mentioned since entertainment industries are mainly controlled by men, images put forth in the media are a means of controlling women. Coward makes the point that there is a ‘preoccupation with the visual’ (2001:35). Males are attracted to the look of women, but not actually attracted to women themselves, therefore images in circulation that are controlled by men communicate ideals in beauty and ‘values about sexual behaviour’ (Coward, R. 2001:35) which include passivity and submission to men.

Women are affected by this as they are thought to ‘identify with these images rather than desire them’ (Coward, R. 2001: 37) to a point where they are willing to undergo extreme, and perhaps dangerous treatment methods to be considered as desirable as the ideal woman shown in popular media.

‘Dominant groups in society, including fundamentally but not exclusively the ruling class, maintain their dominance by securing the 'spontaneous consent' of subordinate groups, including the working class, through the negotiated construction of a political and ideological consensus which incorporates both dominant and dominated groups.’ (Strinati, D. 1995: 165)

The concept of hegemony comes into play here, suggesting that, as females are thought to identify with images of other women, they accept the ideology created by a male dominated society, thus allowing men to remain in a position of power.

Ideal beauty is a peculiar concept as in reality what may constitute beauty is incredibly subjective: the perception of an ideal beauty has nothing to do with objective attractiveness and everything to do with power. ‘Women are mere “beauties” in men’s culture so that culture can be kept male’ (Wolf, N. 1991:59). By prescribing certain

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characteristics to be considered ‘beautiful’ throughout the media, men are able to assert power over women.

The ‘ideal’ has some of its roots in classical European nude paintings. Much like the digitally enhanced woman in modern magazines, the nude’s proportions were generally exaggerated to encapsulate a ‘true beauty’. In these paintings a fuller figure is usually favoured, particularly a larger abdomen and hips as this was a considered a sign of fertility. Body parts were often drawn from several different models, and melded together by the artist to create the ‘perfect’ representation of a woman. Usually there was no record of body hair either as hairlessness was seen to be godlike. This is something that has continued into the modern day, causing stigma around women with body hair. It has been suggested that hair has also been removed, as ‘Hair is associated with sexual power. With passion. The woman’s sexual passion needs to be minimized, so that the spectator may feel that he has a monopoly on such passion’ (Berger, J. 1972: 55).

It could also be interpreted as a way of infantilising women, by mimicking a pre-­‐ pubescent, hairless body: to give a young or immature appearance and preserve power for men.

In the case of paintings, it’s easy to dismiss this as an artist’s interpretation and not a true representation of women, particularly as nowadays there are more technologically advanced media in use to capture images of women. Coward writes ‘photography, film and television offer themselves as transparent recordings of reality. But it is in these media where the definitions are tightest, where the female body is most carefully scripted with the prevailing ideals’. (2000:39) There is a lack of realism in the representation of women, even in photographs, as flaws are erased or masked by digital enhancements to attain ‘beauty’.

As previously touched on, a prominent feature in representations of women with a male audience in mind is that the woman pictured is presented as a passive sexual object. ‘The way her body is arranged in the way it is, to display it to the man looking at the picture. This picture is made to appeal to his sexuality. It has nothing to do with her

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sexuality’ (Berger, J. 1972:55). Though it may seem that this is just imagery created for a man’s pleasure, it is not just a case of finding ‘secondary sexual characteristics appealing.

The objectification of women fulfils a clear function in the maintenance of male power. It identifies women as objects, not subjects – as second class’ (Assister, A. Carol, A. 1993: 48).

Feminine passivity in these images reinforces the roles of male dominance and female submission. The mass circulation of these kind of representations of women perpetuate the oppression of women, and also allow men to further control the actions of women, whether those be sexual actions or something as simple as how she presents herself.

The gaze of the woman has a lot to do with the perceived ‘agency’ of the figure. Usually the figure looks out of the image with a soft and non-­‐active expression, making her appear to be a passive object in the scenario, and the viewer, assumed to be male, an active subject. (Mulvey, L: 1975)

‘We are accustomed to tenets of naturalism, to watching as though we were not watching or as though (a/the) woman, the spectacle, did not know we were watching. We watch, in other words as though her role of being viewed and our act of viewing were somehow secret, not come to light, as if pleasure depended on the assumption the seen cannot see back, or that she does not know she is seen’ (Schneider, R. 1997: 71)

John Berger writes, ‘Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at’ (1972: 47), this implies that women do not truly look at men both in imagery and in real life. As stated before, women in imagery look out but they do not see. Women in real life see men looking at them, looking at images of women in the media, but they cannot look back at men or images of men in the same way. Men are not presented in the media the same way that women are. Fashion designer and self-­‐proclaimed ‘equal opportunity objectifier’ Tom Ford says, ‘The thing is, you can’t show male nudity in our culture in the way you can show female nudity. We’re very comfortable as a culture exploiting women, but not men’ (2015: The Guardian). There is a visual culture built on the presentation of women as objects, but men are not objectified as it is likely that they would be stripped of some of their power if they were treated similarly to women.

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‘[T]he look confers power; women’s inability to return such a critical and aggressive look is a sign of subordination […] women, in the flesh, often feel embarrassed, irritated or downright angered by men’s persistent gaze. But not wanting to risk male attention turning to male aggression, women avert their eyes and hurry on their way’ (Coward, R. 2000: 34).

This suggests ways that the gaze, and the range of media that depict objectified representations of women, control women’s behaviour. Generally speaking, men remain in a dominant role in society, comfortable with viewing women as objects in the media, an attitude that then extends into real life. Real-­‐life women are aware they are being looked at and may not desire to be looked at, but are conditioned into submitting to the cultural norms that they cannot act upon their feelings. ‘Do not act. Do not desire.

Wait for men’s attention’ (Coward. R, 2000: 39). As well as not acting upon irritation at being the object of attention, it is also implied that woman as the less-­‐dominant creature cannot act upon attraction, as that is a dominant role.

Images wherein the subject appears to be more assertive suggest some break with the norm. Paintings such as Goya’s ‘The Nude Maja’ [fig.1] and Manet’s ‘Olympia’ [fig. 2] are recognised as depicting a model whose gaze is more direct, and less passive. Olympia particularly disrupts the status quo by picturing a prostitute of the era described by Emile Zola as ‘a girl of our own times’ (In Guialdoni, F. 2008: 24), with realistic proportions compared to similar paintings of the time which would ‘correct nature’ (Zola, E. in Guialdoni, F. 2008: 24.) These images could be considered to depict a woman as a sexual subject rather than a sexual object. ‘Olympia caused a scandal when it was unveiled […] because of the nude’s seeming self-­‐possession’ (Schneider, 1997: 25). While one may not call this piece a feminist appropriation, in deviating from the norm the image subverts the gaze of a male audience. Though there is some discussion as to whether ‘Olympia’ can be considered to have sexual agency, as the male artist still has the power in this situation. There is a view that all nudes are scopophilic in nature and can only work by reducing the female body to an object (Mulvey, L: 1975).

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The theories identified highlight common themes in representations of women, which feature throughout the different types of media. Recurring characteristics include the objectification of women, which offers the female body as an object for scrutiny, which can extend to everyday life and the judging of real women’s beauty against how well they replicate the ideal of beauty. All of these characteristics, it is asserted, are to make men comfortable in a place of dominance; in essence women are moulded and conditioned to change themselves to protect the fragility of masculinity.

Feminist artists have been aiming to subvert these views, through visual art, performance, interventionist movements and various other art forms. Subversion of the gaze can be achieved by bringing the problematic issues to the attention to the viewer, and changing the power dynamics ‘men feel threatened by big powerful women in a way that they did not in the 1950’s when sex roles were not really questioned’ (Assister, A. Carol, A. 1993: 48). By appropriating the visual language or messages perpetuated by popular media, artists can challenge the status quo.

Artists such as Carolee Schneemann, Hannah Wilke and Annie Sprinkle have been known to use their own bodies as an art form, through self-­‐portraits in photography or performance art. In doing this, and in presenting themselves in a sexual manner, they create a crossover by being at once a sexual subject and a sexual object.

‘(the self timer of the photographic apparatus, the instant feedback of the video camera) were ideally suited to pointing to and questioning the positions of subject and object (who stands before and who stands behind the lens?) and their associated power structures’ (Schor, G. 2016: 74)

The crossover of subject/object is a conundrum as feminism generally takes a position against the objectification of women. Joanna Frueh has written, ‘as long as I am an erotic subject I am not averse to being a sexual object’ (1996: 4). It could be suggested that when artists present themselves in a sexual fashion, there is always the chance they will

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be objectified by a viewer. It has been said that ‘the peeping tom’ [in this case the viewer] ‘can always determine his own meanings for what he sees’ (Coward, R. 2000: 34), so an image detached from its original meaning could turn a sexual subject into a sexual object, though it is possible for any piece of art to be interpreted differently by different viewers. One way of avoiding the possibility of being objectified by a viewer is to remove all elements of sexuality entirely, a method that some feminists holding anti-­‐ porn or anti-­‐sex views would use. However ‘de-­‐sexualising women […] is every bit as much a misrepresentation of real women as anything to be found in pornography’ (Assister, A. Carol, A. 1993: 52/53), as a great number of women do have sexual desires, gain pleasure from representing themselves sexually and want to be able to freely show this side of themselves.

‘Women who like sex are written of as being “male identified” – that is we are presumed to be expressing their sexuality rather than our own. In either case, the sexually expressive woman is always seen as the victim of male propaganda and male violence’ (Assister, A. Carol, A. 1993: 16).

Representations of women seem to become split into polar opposites, subject/object, virgin/whore, each giving the impression of the woman in question to be a completely two dimensional human with no character beyond that label. Naomi Wolf states that society flattens ‘the feminine into beauty-­‐without-­‐intelligence or intelligence-­‐without-­‐ beauty; women are allowed a mind or a body but not both’ (1991: 59). From this statement and view of culture it could be concluded that feminist art using sexual imagery of women is subversive due to the fact that it is not a brainless concept, an intelligent thought process has gone into the work showing the merging of both mind and body and presenting the subject as a multi-­‐faceted being. Rebecca Schneider writes of Carolee Schneemann’s performance art piece Eye/Body [fig.3] ’the clean lines between constructed and constructor, finder and found, subject and object, artist and art, mind and body, were blurred’ (1997: 36).

As this chapter has indicated, sexual imagery of women has been used and publicly accepted for a long time, particularly in art made by male artists. However there is

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consistent backlash when women choose to present themselves sexually or expose their bodies, even within the art world, receiving criticism from both males and females. ‘Nudity was not the problem. Sexual display was not the problem. The agency of the body displayer, the authority of the agent – that was the problem with women’s work’ (Schneider, R. 1997: 35). This returns us to male dominance and the widely accepted perceptions of women as object. Art pieces that utilise the sexual agency of the artist challenge the gaze by ‘subverting the myth that women are largely asexual creatures who dislike sex’ (Assister, A. Carol, A. 1993: 16).

The next chapter will be focusing on different cases including art, performance and protest that challenge the characteristics of male orientated media while also appropriating elements of the language of this media. The theories identified so far will be used to explain different elements of these cases and how they could be interpreted as subverting the male gaze.

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Chapter 3.

Case Studies Performance/ Protest – Smashing the Patriarchy Through the Ages

Case Study 1 Burlesque Performance

Burlesque is a performance medium that embraces femininity and female sexuality. It exaggerates femininity, making a spectacle of the female body. Some second-­‐wave feminist views that interpret the representation of female sexuality in the public eye as negative, may argue that burlesque is simply another way for women’s bodies to be exploited for the male gaze; as the performance generally involves some element of striptease, a type of act historically mostly targeted towards male audiences. As mentioned in the previous chapter, the total erasure of female sexuality is just as problematic as the hyper-­‐sexualisation of women, as it paints women as ‘largely asexual creatures who dislike sex’ (Assister, A. Carol, A. 1993: p.16), perpetuating the myth that any sexual content in art or media must be intended for men.

A more sex-­‐positive view, prevalent within third-­‐wave feminism may see burlesque as a positive thing for women. Some people become performers to improve their confidence and self-­‐esteem, and it is generally viewed in the burlesque community as something produced by women for other women; not something with a male audience in mind. It can be interpreted, as ‘Erotic-­‐for-­‐women – for women meaning that women are producers and consumers –is erotic for oneself’ (Frueh, .J, 1996: 143). There is an element of self-­‐pleasure and self-­‐love in burlesque, which is something that the patriarchal society does not encourage.

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Using the medium to challenge social norms may be considered modern, however burlesque has been doing this since its origins in the 1800’s, with a troupe called the ‘British Blondes’ fronted by Lydia Thompson. The ‘Primary appeal [of the show] was sex’ (Kenrick, J. 2005) but the show was not strictly sexual, as they performed parody renditions of popular plays, in which the female cast would take on the male roles, donning feminised versions of male attire. This is arguably a phenomenon from the early years of burlesque that could be considered subversive.

‘In the Victorian age, when proper women went to great lengths to hide their physical form beneath bustles, hoops and frills, the idea of young ladies appearing onstage in tights was a powerful challenge.’ (Kenrick, J. 2005).

Through use of performance technique, humour, costume etc., this form of entertainment has challenged the status quo. ‘Their unruly burlesque body contravened or exceeded what was appropriate for female behaviour’ (Willson, J. 2007: 31). Especially in a historical period in which ‘to maintain one’s respectability, closely identified with femininity, meant not exposing oneself in public.’ (Pollock, G. Year: 69). The performers were simultaneously overtly and unabashedly feminine but not necessarily subscribing to what were considered to be feminine norms, ‘ Thompson speaks at once to the traditional ideals of female beauty and, draped in the accoutrements of vilified and unfeminine modern womanhood, its opposite’ (Willson. J. 2007:31) showing a ‘subject that is all at once silly, sexy and subversive’ (Buszek, M. 2006: 56).

‘Though they were not like men, [they] were in most things as unlike women, and seemed creatures of a kind of alien sex, parodying both. It was certainly a shocking thing to look at them with their horrible prettiness’ (Howels in Buszek, M. 2006: 55)

The space in which burlesque is performed is a very different space when compared to that of a traditional ‘strip club’. Where that would be considered a fairly male-­‐centric atmosphere, a burlesque show is considered to be not for ‘males only’ but for a mixed audience of respectful patrons. Burlesque performer Lux DeLioux says, ‘People don't

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generally go to burlesque shows to get off, they go for a fun night out. If people wanted to be turned on they'd go to a strip club’ (Conversation with the author, 2016, Appendix 1)

‘To see a fantastic stripper is an awe inspiring experience. It is to witness the Divine Feminine. It is prayer. And what often surrounds erotic dancers? Drunk, cigarette smoking, disrespectful, bad mannered guys waving measly dollar bills…’ (Sprinkle, A.: ‘my conversation with an anti-­‐porn feminist’ year n/a)

Lux DeLioux also mentions that burlesque is one of the most inclusive forms of performance as, while there are big names such as Dita Von Teese (who are beautiful, white, ideally shaped women), most burlesque scenes are comprised of people of all genders, races, body types etc. DeLioux’s comment supports the argument that burlesque is not intended to appeal to the male gaze, or every performer would be female and fit into the ‘ideal’ beauty of women as shown in magazines. The ‘erotic-­‐for-­‐ women loves the female body without discriminating against its old(er) manifestations’ (Frueh, J. 1996: 143). It has been suggested that ‘women understand that there are two distinct economies: there is physical attraction, and then there is the “ideal”’ (Wolf, N. 1991: 174). Though this comment was made in reference to media representations of men, it can also be applied to these ‘erotic-­‐for-­‐women’ media. Women know that representations of other women in the media are a skewed ideal and can appreciate the physical beauty of a range of people whether they fit the ideal or not. ‘Autoeroticism is apparent in self-­‐exhibition and in women’s gaze at other women unclothed’ (Frueh, J. 1996: 143), which echoes Coward’s point that women are thought to identify with images of other women (2001). Women still identify with burlesque performers but rather than giving rise to a sense of self-­‐scrutiny that would occur when looking at a heavily altered photograph in a magazine, there is more of a sense of self-­‐pleasure.

Although burlesque can be very visually appealing, with costumes and the spectacle of the performance itself, the performers are not judged on their looks alone. The personality of the artist is portrayed through their performance, much like the way

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Hannah Wilke and other feminist artists communicated their intent through their work in a way that was still ‘glamorous’ but subverted the male gaze. This presentation of intent and personality allows women to be observed in their perceived position of power, in the same way a man would be seen, but without sacrificing any elements of sexuality or femininity

In society ‘men’s bodies are not eroticized for women. Other women’s bodies are not eroticized for women. Female masturbation is not eroticized for women’ (Wolf, N. 1991: 156). Within burlesque the female body is still eroticised not for the pleasure of men but for self-­‐pleasure and the pleasure of other women. ‘The sincere pleasure that these women seemed to take in their own audacity, and the allure that they held for regular young women inspired by their precedent’ (Buszek. M, 2006: 61).

Burlesque bridged gaps – subject/object, high art/low class. Artist Annie Sprinkle has used burlesque-­‐style acts within her work and can also be seen to have bridged a gap, starting off as a porn-­‐star and bringing something considered ‘low’ into a performance art setting. This again brings up the concepts of the author and the context. The same acts made for a male audience via pornography become an art piece when they are co-­‐ ordinated with a different assigned meaning.

Burlesque communities create diverse and comfortable spaces for women (and others) as there is less pressure to conform to society’s ideals – despite the increased level of ‘to-­‐be-­‐looked-­‐at-­‐ness’ (Mulvey, L. 1975: 815) the performer has. Perhaps the comfort comes from the fact that the performer does have full control over their body and performance. They are under no obligation to fully expose themselves to the audience

Whilst porn-­‐stars and strippers are of course able to act upon their own sexual agency, the media produced is usually undeniably for a male audience. As previously mentioned, burlesque and other related arts are generally targeted at a wider audience and in some ways can be used to subvert the gaze despite being similar in content, that of making a spectacle out of the female body. This may be due to the fact that in media

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tailored towards men the female is portrayed as submissive, whereas in burlesque etc., she holds a more dominant role, threatening masculinity and male power, thus subverting the gaze.

Case Study 2 Hannah Wilke: A Starification is Born

There are many notable feminist artists that use appropriation as an element of their art. In this section I will be focusing on some of Hannah Wilke’s work, which ranges across visual, analogue media and performance art, which she used to subvert the male gaze and comment upon many of the issues she was passionate about up until her death in 1993. ‘Wilke refuses the construction of woman as the pathetic, obscene, victimized subject of the patriarchal gaze’ (Jones. A, 1995: npa).

In the Starification Object Series (1974-­‐1982) [fig.4], Wilke strikes poses imitating those of glamour models, which could be seen in popular magazines, or pin-­‐ ups of the time. Her naked torso is covered in chewed up pieces of gum. This series of images was an extension of a live performance piece wherein audience members were given pieces of gum to chew up and stick on the artist. The gum is formed into shapes that resemble vaginas, ‘According to the artist, these "wounds" symbolized women’s second-­‐class status, their "disposability."’ (Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collections, 2013).

The title of the piece, ‘Starification’ mixes the words ‘scarification’ and ‘star’ denoting connotations of celebrity stardom. Wilke transforms herself into a ‘star’ through imitating the aesthetics of glamour implicit within the imagery while at the same time the chewing gum scars the artist, identifying her as a lesser being by the accepted perceptions of an audience in a patriarchal society. This could be representative of the ‘suffering that western women undergo in rituals of beautification’ (Frueh, J. 1996:143),

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including cosmetic surgery, excessive exercise, eating disorders which are the lengths that women feel they must go to due to the pressure of an idealised ‘beauty’ as viewed in the media. They must make certain not to be too fat, too thin, too old etc. ’thirty-­‐three thousand American women told researchers that they would rather lose ten to fifteen pounds than achieve any other goal’ (Wolf, N. 1991: 10).

As mentioned in chapter two, self-­‐photography, or self-­‐directed photography is a medium that questions traditional power roles. As much of Wilke’s photographic work is self-­‐portraiture she crosses the aforementioned boundaries of being both sexual subject and object. Self-­‐portraiture presents ‘the nude as the artists, not just as the artist's (active) subject’ (Schneider, R. 1997: 36) as Manet’s ‘Olympia’ [fig.2] could be considered.

Wilke used ‘feminism and flirtatiousness [to] illustrate the problematic practices that rendered the female body an object’ (Schor, G. 2016:193). The artist herself said, ‘I was very pretty and glamorous, and the socially provocative aspect of it prompted me to create my first work’ (Wilke in Schor, G, 2016: 193). She was aware of the fact that women are judged on their beauty, and that as a traditionally attractive woman her art would be a challenge to perceptions of women. Particularly due to the misconception that all feminists must be unattractive, man hating, lesbians, a point which will be further discussed later on in this chapter.

‘A woman’s choice to deal directly with female beauty in her art does seem inspired, both as a blunt recognition of the significance of female beauty in western art and as an indication of willingness to risk proclaiming the pleasures of beauty for the self’ (Frueh. J. 1997: 142).

Some feminist critics, including Lucy Lippard, considered her work to be further perpetuating the ‘problematic practices’ (Schor, G. 2016: 193) that her work aimed to address. She and other artists were criticised for narcissism, but as John Berger writes of a trope in classical painting:

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‘you painted a naked woman because you enjoyed looking at her, put a mirror in her hand and you called the painting “vanity”, thus morally condemning the woman whose nakedness you had depicted for your own pleasure’ (1972:51).

This view can similarly be applied to the criticism of Wilke’s work. Male artists have been depicting naked women for years, with minimal complaint but when women choose to present themselves in the same way it is not accepted. The time period the artist worked in may be accountable for some of the criticism. As mentioned previously in the 1970’s sex-­‐positive feminism was not as prevalent as it is now, so Wilke’s work may have been interpreted as ‘male identified’. Fellow artist Carolee Schneemann states her own work is made using her ‘creative female will’ as ‘she wanted her body to remain erotic, sexual, both "desired and desiring" ’ (Schneider, R. 1997: 37), without her work being categorized as masculine-­‐identified.

Is narcissism really a problem? It is only considered wrong for women to like how they look due to the culture that revolves around the setting of unrealistic beauty standards.

Wilke’s defiance of cultural norms and blatant self-­‐appreciation is a sign of control. By taking control of her own body and how it is depicted, the artist takes the power from the male viewer.

Wilke embraces her femininity and sexuality while also using it as a subversive tool.

Starification Object Series ‘embraces sensuality at the same time that it mocks male desire and satirizes gender stereotypes’. (Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collections. 2013). She appropriates visual language implemented by media intended for the male gaze, causing a male audience to be shocked when realising the piece does not subscribe fully to a traditional pin-­‐up image. ‘Wilke's sense of humor and compulsion to perform once again transformed an objectifying practice into an opportunity for self-­‐expression.’ (Jones, A. 1995: npa.) The fact that the artist was considered a traditionally ‘attractive’ woman helps to further subvert the gaze of the male viewer, as it brings an allure to the pieces, by appearing to be traditionally aimed

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at this demographic. By utilising her looks in this way she is able to draw attention to the perceived importance of beauty for women.

The artist uses the method of appropriating the language of the gaze in several pieces of work throughout her career. In ‘Through the Large Glass’ [fig. 5] Wilke performs a striptease-­‐esque performance behind Duchamp’s ‘The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors, Even (The Large Glass)’ [fig. 6]. The video scene of this piece at the Photographers’ Gallery in London [Appendix 2] then ‘rewinds’ leaving Wilke fully clothed at the end. Throughout the piece parts of the artist’s body are still masked by ‘The Large Glass’, implying the mystique of the female body. By keeping an element of secrecy the artist can be seen to be ‘blending active empowerment with a playful affirmation of male expectations’ in which she ‘activates the female body to insert herself into the male dominated history of avant-­‐garde art’ (Schor, G. 2016:73).

Case Study 3 Feminist Intervention

As long as there has been art that depicts women, there has been opposition to it and actions carried out in attempts to reflect that opposition. Take, for example, The Rokeby Venus being slashed with an axe, in the suffragette period (Nead, L. 1992: 34 -­‐ 43). [fig. 7 and 8].

Beauty pageants such as Miss World uphold the patriarchal value that women are based on and judged by their beauty and desirability. In the Judgement of Paris ‘Paris awards the apple to the woman he finds most beautiful. This beauty becomes competitive. ‘Today the judgement of Paris has become the Beauty Contest’ (Berger, J. 1972: 52).

Like most image-­‐making involving women and beauty, pageants turn the female body into a spectacle, opening it up to the criticism of the wider public. The environment in which these events take place is one that could be considered hostile to women; due to

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the influence that praised women have on others. Exposure to images of ‘beautiful women’, usually lacking in diversity, stripped of personality cause ‘real women’ to feel inadequate in a similar fashion to the way women are affected by images in magazines and other mainstream media. For example ‘60 year old readers look in the mirror and think they look too old, because they’re comparing themselves to some retouched face smiling back at them from a magazine’ (Heyn, D. In Wolf, N. 1991: 83)

These pageants are not for the pleasure of other women but, of course, for the pleasure of men, who are invited to look at and scrutinise the body of these women and essentially to decide who is beautiful, and most ideal out of the whole selection. ‘Those who are not judged beautiful are not beautiful. Those who are, are given the prize’ (Berger, J. 1972:52). Eric Morley described the kind of women he was looking for to participate in the pageant as:

‘Girls between 17 and 25, ideally five foot seven, eight or nine stone, waist 22-­‐24″, hips 35-­‐36″, no more no less, a lovely face, good teeth, plenty of hair, and perfectly shaped legs from front and back – carefully checked for such defects as slightly knocked knees.’ (Morley E, in www.nickelinthemachine.com, ‘The Royal Albert Hall, Miss World and the Angry Brigade in 1970’).

This is problematic, as it causes young women to grow up believing that they must look as close as they can to the ‘ideal’ as possible, causing them to alter themselves in sometimes extreme damaging measures, to achieve the unattainable.

By mainstream acceptance of beauty pageants, society upholds the patriarchal values that women are and should be judged on their beauty. It is a form of controlling women’s appearance so that men can remain dominant, and women are conditioned into accepting this state of play. These techniques to retain male dominance could be fuelled by the fact that masculinity is fragile and men are intimidated by women ‘men feel threatened by big powerful women in a way that they did not in the 1950’s when sex roles were not really questioned’ (Assister, A. Carol, A. 1993: 48). As well as controlling women’s appearances the pageants also controlled the sexual activity of the

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contestants, disqualifying participants and stripping winners of their titles when they were found to have had relations during the run of the pageant. ‘Nobody ever adequately explained why chastity should be so prized in a desirable adult woman.’ (Pelling, R. The Telegraph, 2015). Presumably it can be assumed that this ideal would imply sexual passivity and inexperience, lending dominance to the male audience who desire these women.

In 1970 a group of women protested the Miss World pageant at the Royal Albert hall.

The protesters sported the slogan ‘We’re not ugly, we’re not pretty, we’re angry’ [Fig.9], perhaps in response to the stereotype that feminists are all ugly people acting out of jealousy towards beautiful people. Bob Hope, who hosted the event that year, implied this by saying of the protesters ‘anybody who wants to interrupt something as beautiful as this must be on some kind of dope’ (‘The Royal Albert Hall Miss World and The Angry Brigade’, www.nickelinthemachine.com, 2010). The slogan also remarks upon the perceived importance of beauty for women. By saying ‘we’re not ugly, we’re not pretty’ they remove beauty from the equation entirely.

The protest worked by infiltrating the male oriented space with intent to disrupt the gaze, by causing a stir at the event they, to some extent, achieved their goal, however it has been reported that the protest did not go exactly as planned. Griselda Pollock writes of 1800s; the public domain was a male space, and it would be ‘morally dangerous’ (1988: 69) for a woman to be seen alone in this arena. This was said to be because it would tarnish the woman’s reputation, however it could also be assumed that men were threatened by women entering a space they believed themselves to have ownership of.

Invasive tactics and intervention has been a large part of feminist art movements, with aforementioned artists Hannah Wilke, Annie Sprinkle, Carolee Schneemann and others, intruding on male spaces within their art. As well as this the Guerrilla Girls, a group of feminist activist artists create installations that make statements about the inequality that women face in many aspects of society. Fig. 10 shows a well-­‐known Guerrilla Girls

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piece about the lack of women artists included in art galleries. They have re-­‐ appropriated a classical nude painting in this piece, and altered it with their trademark Gorilla mask, stating matter-­‐of-­‐factly that there are more nude paintings of women in the gallery than women artists. By utilising such a prominent piece of art as the ‘poster girl’ for their campaign they are able to draw the most attention to their cause.

When the Rokeby Venus was damaged the public spoke of the painting by referring to it with ‘she’ pronouns, personifying it. Allowing an object a personality and rights but stripping them from actual living women. Naomi Wolf says ‘In suggesting a vision in place of a woman, it has a numbing effect, reducing all senses but the visual, and impairing even that’ (1991: 174). The importance placed on images of beauty stops people, particularly men from seeing real women, leading to a dependence on visual stimulation.

Each of the case studies explored share common themes. Their intent is not necessarily to appropriate media intended for the male gaze, but to employ a technique that has ended up becoming prominent and recurring through several different pieces of work.

It is possible that these artists do not intend to subvert the male gaze overtly, rather the intention is to comment on the issues caused by a patriarchal society, whether they are created through single images or other forms of entertainment. The elements that go into the work are what make the work subversive.

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Chapter 4.

Reflective Practice – Me, Myself and I

During the course of my research into a number of artists and theories relating to the representation of women, I have become fascinated by the theme of sexual agency, the visual language of media created for male consumption, subverting the gaze, and the erasure that goes into creating the ‘ideal woman’.

I began to question whether it is entirely possible to communicate sexual agency simply through the use of the illustrated image. The main focus of my general practice already consisted of drawing what could be considered ‘sexy’ women, though I have never considered my work to be targeted at a male audience. While the work of Babs Tarr, Laura Callaghan and Polly Nor contain representations of female sexuality, the intended audience does not appear to be a heterosexual male audience. Though her work does not customarily feature in media intended for men, Tarr at one point was one of the only women working at comic and graphic novel publisher; DC comics on the comic ‘BATGIRL’, insinuating herself into the male-­‐orientated medium of comic books.

The photo-­‐collage work of Penny Slinger [fig 11], as well as other pieces currently at the Feminist Avant Garde exhibition at the Photographers’ Gallery, London [Appendix 2], had a profound influence on the direction that my own work subsequently took, as I was able to see what techniques and imagery have been used and what common themes were running throughout these bodies of work.

It is known that in the majority of popular media women’s bodies are edited, one assumes to make them more appealing to men. I mention in the second chapter that this means natural bodily functions and features are hidden, or removed. I found the concept of bringing this into view, and glamorising something that has a sense of unease about it, of interest. Bringing these erased features to light de-­‐mystifies the female body. De-­‐ mystifying the female body is an interesting form of subversion, effective due to the fact

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that the female body is mostly kept secret. Annie Sprinkle’s Public Cervix Announcement (circa. 1985-­‐1990) [fig.12] is an example of art that demystifies the female body, her intention however was to educate rather than subvert. ‘I show my cervix is to assure the misinformed, who seem to be primarily of the male population, that neither the vagina nor the cervix contains any teeth’ (Sprinkle, A. Year n/a, ‘A Public Cervix Announcement,)

Within the body of work I utilised a lot of reoccurring themes, such as the vagina dentata and the use of eyes as a motif. The vagina dentata is closely associated with Freud’s theory of castration anxiety; that a boy will learn to develop masculine traits via the fear of castration by his father.

‘the myth about woman as castrator clearly points to male fears and phantasies about the female genitals as a trap, a black hole which threatens to swallow them up and cut them into pieces’ (Creed, B. Year. P. 106).

My including this explicitly within my work makes the male viewer uncomfortable. It is an interesting thing to use in imagery, as within the context of the rest of the female body there is an element of trickery. Luring the viewer in with an unassuming presentation of a beautiful woman, leads them only to be faced with something they did not expect. The motif of eyes has a similar effect; a male viewer ends up seeing something he did not expect. The use of eyes in strange places, or an excessive use of them draws the attention of a male viewer. Subverting the gaze by turning it back onto the viewer offers the female depicted the power of being a ‘seer’ rather than just ‘seen’ (Schneider, R. 1997). Berger writes ‘a woman’s presence expresses her own attitude to herself’ (1972: 46), by presenting women in a context that offers the characters authority; their attitude is not that of a submissive object but a powerful, active, subject.

The final pieces I created [fig 13, 14,15] use pages of the magazine ‘Escort’ as the canvas. I thought that this would be appropriate as, much like the work of the artists mentioned in chapter three, this method re-­‐appropriates media that was originally intended for male consumption. By altering parts of the images I disrupt the gaze similarly to the way the

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pieces of gum ‘mar her [Wilke’s] otherwise perfect back’ (Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collections, 2013).

I believe that my use of the magazine helps to bring historical work into a modern setting.

The particular issue is very recent, and the concept of the ‘lads mag’ ties very much into modern lad culture. Brian McNair poses the point that lad culture is a response to the success of feminism. In the media, males started being portrayed as stereotypically more feminine, taking on passive recumbent poses in adverts and being well-­‐groomed. The culture of revelling in ‘booze, birds and football’ and thus the ‘lad mag’ was a response in an attempt to regain some perceived dominance after having their gender subjected to the manner in which women have been treated throughout history. (McNair, B. 2002)

As well as addressing issues around appropriation art, the choice to use photo-­‐ manipulation as the primary media mimics the way that women in modern media such as magazines and adverts are digitally altered, so they fit better into a polished ‘ideal’. I intend this to mock the culture of the ideal, as the images created are potentially horrifying. They are not meant to make the viewer comfortable, like the airbrushed imagery that surrounds us.

The work produced within this research project reflects Mulvey's theory of the gaze as it subverts the feminine ideal, and turns the gaze back on the viewer. By adding these monstrous the women cease to be objects of male desire, and adopt a more assertive sense self and power. All these elements work in tandem to put the male viewer in a position of discomfort, thus removing his power and subverting the gaze.

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Chapter 5.

Conclusion – The results will shock you!

The patriarchal society we live in is filled with views that can be deemed hostile to women; various forms of media have been used to combat these views including art, performance and protest.

Through this essay I have found the artist’s intent is a key component of the finished image. Two images can appear to be very similar visually but the concept and context behind an image is what informs it as a finished piece. The artist has the ability to imbue their work with a specific meaning that they wish to communicate to an audience.

‘ The responsibility for a narrative is never assumed by a person but by a mediator […] the explanation of a work is always sought in the man or woman who produced it’ – (Barthes, R. 1977:142/143).

Despite this everything can also come down to audience interpretation, and what views different demographics may hold, for example second-­‐wave feminists may view things differently to third-­‐wave feminists. A male audience could view something completely different to a female audience and so on.

Each artform examined within this text seems initially very different from the other.

Burlesque – a fun-­‐filled entertaining spectacle, filled with flashy costumes and flirtatious strip tease; Hannah Wilke’s glamorous, sensual, subverting, self-­‐directed photography work; and the years of feminist intervention dedicated to ‘smashing the patriarchy’. However it has been found these three cases have a common theme in that they all demonstrate an overt intent to oppose patriarchal values, including unrealistic beauty standards, the male gaze, the objectification of women etcetera. In this disruption of the gaze, male power is challenged helping its opponents to destabilize power structures in society.

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Intervention art and protests make a spectacle of the fact that things have been made a spectacle of, for example the perception that how a woman ‘appears to men is of crucial importance for what is normally thought of the success of her life’ (Berger, J. 1972: 46).

Intervention art very overtly attacks the social issues found to be problematic. In the case of the Miss World protest, the objectification of women and stress of ideal beauty standards are targeted. The Guerrilla Girls target inequality in society, particularly the scarcity of women artists in museums and galleries.

The work of Hannah Wilke takes a more subtle approach, using the visual language prominent in male orientated media, at the same time including an obvious detraction from what would usually be expected. Despite being less overt this still draws attention to the issue of importance of beauty for women.

Burlesque could be seen as the least obvious form of subversion but it is still a powerful subversive tool and has been since its inception. Embracing femininity and sexuality, the medium promotes a sense of female dominance.

The examination of these elements informed a body of work in which I was able to create pieces of artwork with the intent of subverting the gaze, using appropriation as a method. What was created would be difficult to understand without the context examined within this text or a statement from the artist, (in this case myself)

‘As soon as a fact is narrated no longer with a view of acting directly on reality but intransitively, […] disconnection occurs, the voice loses its origin, the author enters into his own death, writing begins’ (Barthes, R. 1977: 142).

I contend that it is very clear that my work was not intended to arouse a male audience despite pornography being used as a medium. In this, my work is similar to the work of the other practitioners explored within this essay.

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‘There are three sites or positions from which to investigate the meaning of an image; 1) the site of image production, 2) the site of image consumption, and 3) the site of the text itself’ (Van Leeuwen and Jewitt. In Schroeder, J: 2006: 5)

The essay has explored the work of the practitioners within the case studies and their use of this method. I believe that although a certain amount of audience interpretation is understandable, it would be irresponsible to disregard the content creator’s original meaning if it is publicly stated.

Feminist artists subvert the gaze by identifying elements of male orientated media that are problematic to women and by creating work appropriating some elements with an aim to draw attention to these ‘problematic practices’ (Schor, G. 2016: page). The use of the visual language of male orientated media can be seen as a way of luring men into viewing the work intended to subvert their gaze, thus making them aware of how problematic and damaging the common themes, that include female passivity and sexual submission amongst other things, really are. A majority of this work involves taking power and control away from men, by offering the female producer power and control over her own body. This serves to make men uncomfortable as it challenges their dominance and their comfort in a society that is seemingly accepting of male hegemony.

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Images

Fig.1. Francisco Goya (1797-­‐1800)‘The Nude Maja’ / ‘La Maja Desnuda’ [Oil on Canvas] Madrid: Museo Nacional Del Prado Image sourced from: Image Sourced From: http://cultura.biografieonline.it/wp-­‐ content/uploads/2013/01/naga-­‐800x405.jpg

Fig.2. Edouard Manet (1863). ‘Olympia’ [Oil on Canvas] Paris: Museum d'Orsay.

Image Sourced From: http://www.manet.org/images/gallery/olympia.jpg

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Fig.3. Carolee Schneemann (1963) Eye/Body [Performance / Photography] Image Sourced From: http://www.ppowgallery.com/sites/default/files/styles/work_large/public/Eye%20Body %20Contact%20Sheet.jpg

Fig.4. Hannah Wilke (1964 – 1982) Starification Object Series [Performance / Photography] Image Sourced from: http://www.hannahwilke.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/sosmoma.jpg

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Fig.5. Hannah Wilke (1976) Through the Large Glass [Performance / Film] Image sourced from: http://dazedimg.dazedgroup.netdna-­‐cdn.com/697/azure/dazed-­‐ prod/760/3/763755.jpg

Fig.6. Marcel Duchamp (1915–1923) The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors, Even (The Large Glass) [Foil, Varnish, Oil paint, Wire] Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art Image Sourced From: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/be/Duchamp_LargeGlass.jpg

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Fig.7. Diego Velázquez (1647) Rokeby Venus [oil paint on canvas] London; The National Gallery // Image Sourced From: http://www.artinsociety.com/uploads/9/7/8/7/9787095/9462715_orig.png

Fig.8. Damaged Rokeby Venus Diego Velázquez, (1647) Damaged by suffragette Mary Richardson in (1914) Image Sourced From: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/11/Richardson-­‐ Venus.png

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Fig.9. Photographer unknown (1970) Miss World Protest [Photograph] Image Sourced From: http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/wordpress/wp-­‐ content/uploads/Protest-­‐We-­‐Are-­‐Angry-­‐426x283.jpg

Fig.10. Guerrilla Girls (1989) ‘Do women have to be naked to get into the met. Museum?’

Image Sourced From: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/images/work/P/P78/P78793_10.jpg

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Fig.11. Penny Slinger (1973) ICU [black and white photograph collage on paper] London: Photographers Gallery Image Sourced From: http://pennyslinger.com/Works/brides-­‐cake-­‐ series/#prettyPhoto[portfolio]/7/

Fig.12. Annie Sprinkle (Circa 1985 – 1990) Public Cervix Announcement [Performance Still] Image Sourced From: https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.artslant.com/work/image/709573/mf2ji7/201306202 24759-­‐sprinkle_post-­‐porn_modernist.jpg

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Fig. 13. Amber Kaplan (2017) Magazine Cover front / Back [print of digital collage/photomanipulation]. Unpublished.

Fig. 14. Amber Kaplan (2017) Magazine Spread 1 [print of photomanipulation].

Unpublished.

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Fig. 15. Amber Kaplan (2017) Magazine Spread 2 [print of photomanipulation].

Unpublished.

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Appendices Appendix 1 Kaplan, A. An Informal Interview / Conversation with Burlesque Performer Lux DeLioux, 2016.

My friend, and burlesque performer LuxDelioux was in town on the weekend so I took the opportunity to ask them a few questions in an almost interview but maybe not quite.

(Answers may be shortened or paraphrased)

A: How does performing make you feel?

L: I started off doing burlesque like a lot of people to boost my self confidence so it made me feel really good at first and after a while i just enjoyed performing and being on stage. I did theatre at uni so it made me feel like I was doing something important for my degree.

Fuck me it's tiring though.

A: Is there ever a fear you will be objectified by an audience member?

L: Oh god yeah it's happened. I just brush it off usually. I'm aware that I'm up there and there'll always be the danger of that happening. When it's happens a majority of people enjoy what I'm doing for the right reasons so that one person doesn't mean shit. We're all up there getting out kit off, so yeah there is a chance of that happening.

A: (this is on the borderline of feeling like it's actually an academic question but I read a quote saying "as long as I am a sexual subject I am not averse to being a sexual object" how do you feel about that? do you agree or?)

L: I think that depends on the person, everyone works for themselves. If you're up there and you're aware that some people will view you as a sexual object and you're not being hurt by it I guess it's okay? I mean my acts aren't overtly sexual, I do what I do to entertain -­‐ not to titillate. I'm here to make people smile and if someone gets a boner I'm not really fussed. People don't generally go to burlesque shows to get off, they go for a fun night out.

If people wanted to be turned on they'd go to strip club and If I wanted to get a guy hard I'd maybe be a lapdancer. As long as I don't have to wank someone off I'm happy.

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A: How do you think burlesque does or can subvert the male gaze and/or challenge beauty ideals?

L: It definitely challenges beauty ideals as it is an art form that includes every gender, age, race, body type, etc. it's very inclusive and It's one of the only performance industries where everyone is accepted and celebrated.

When people think of burlesque they think of Dita Von Teese or Banbury Cross who are tall, while, slim women but if you go to your local burlesque night there's lots of performers, lots of GOOD performers who defy beauty ideals. High end burlesque (particularly in London) do just want the Dita Von Teese's, and occasionally they'll have like Dirty Martini, who is plus sized but you know she's still beautiful and white. Sometimes people are not accepted in the London/high end burlesque scene because of race, gender etc. Northern Burlesque tends to be better for diversity.

What was the first bit? Male gaze? Yeah, so Burlesque is generally by women for women.

Occasionally you get a stag do but they're the nicest stag do's you'll ever get because they know they're going to a burlesque show! I once had a stag do and they were so lovely, none of them tried to touch me or said anything derogatory to me and they were like "yeah good show, well done" afterwards. You rarely get stereotypical hyper-­‐masculine twats and if you do they're usually removed. -­‐ If they're commenting inappropriately about the performers etc.

A: Anything else you want to add?

L: If you consider yourself a fan of burlesque go to an actual show. What people think it is like is very different to how it actually is. You think it's all fan dances and sexy ladies (and there are) but you see hilarious acts, horror acts, and all sorts.

I shouldn't really use fans cause I'm vegan but they're third hand.

A: Last Question: Are you okay with this information being posted on the internet & used for academic stuff

L: HELL YE BOI

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Appendix 2 Feminist Avant Garde Exhibition Photographers Gallery, London 7th October – 29th January I visited the exhibition on the 3rd November 2016 Screenshots sourced from http://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/feminist-­‐avant-­‐garde-­‐of-­‐ the-­‐1970s

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