STUDY TASK 3 – PLANNING & STRUCTURING AN ESSAY Suggested Research Question. This can be a topic or theme, but please try to be as precise as possible. Have classical nude portrayals of women influenced modern beauty standards/ideals for women? (I need to add something about it being a negative – ideals/ standards that are unattainable but still expected of women and thus the negative view of actual women)
Which Academic Sources will you reference? Include a Harvard Referenced bibliography of at least 5 sources. Ways of Seeing – John Berger The Beauty Myth – Naomi Wolf Reading Images – Julia Thomas (The Look, Rosalind Coward) Gaze Theory – Laura Mulvey Secrets of Women: Gender, Generation and the Origins of Human dissection – Katharine Park
What Images Illustrations will you analyse? Include at least one piece of Graphic Design to analyse in depth (but no more than three)
This advert is tailored towards men, selling body spray it shows a partially clothed woman cooking (a traditionally “female” role). Rather than showing an ideal of what men “could be” by using this product they show a woman as a “prize” or a “challenge” Similarly to the subjects of classical paintings, she is made to be an ideal woman for the male spectator. Her body has been enhanced and distorted into unrealistic proportions, and she faces the viewer – a characteristic prominent in classical painting as it turns the woman into a submissive object – and desirable to males. “men see women, women see themselves being looked at” – This can be applied this advert as a man would see this advert and see a beautiful woman. A woman would see this advert and see a man looking at this woman and seeing a beautiful woman, (it is likely that women identify with the subject rather than desire them”. The identification of a female viewer with the subject, whether it be in a painting or an advert
Essay Map Using the Study Task Handout, construct an essay map outlining the FOUR main points of your argument. Women in classical art are idealised representations of women, (just like women shown in modern advertising are). There are similarities, has classical art, nudes in particular impacted upon modern ideals for “the perfect women”. Limbs are made longer in classical painting, photoshopping in modern advertisement. The standard of beauty is determined by men: the male gaze, (Mulvey). Women in imagery is tailored towards men, in advertisement it’s so women will see the man’s reaction to a woman and want to buy the product to become desirable to men. Analysis of a classical painting Analysis of an advert Comparison of the two – similarities in pose, hairlessness stuff like that.
Peer Feedback – How could this Essay Map be refined / developed? Show this form to a fellow student. They should record their feedback in the box below Some concern about the topic being too broad – more like a dissertation level thing, but I clarified how I am going to define this in the essay so it doesn’t get too broad – by focusing in on advertisement as the portrayal of the modern beauty standard. Decide on what images I’m going to use for my essay, as there are many examples I’ve added here. AND I CAN’T ADD THEM ALL THAT’S FOR SURE. READ READ READ, get all the quotes and ideas together so I can make a proper argument out of this as I have an idea and have read a few things that support my essay but need to do more reading.