This is Alyssa, whose blue dress was the point of discussion in the thread below (What does this photo say to you?, and this followup on the a feminist theory called The Male Gaze.
The Devil in the Blue Dress
6 thoughts on “The Devil in the Blue Dress”
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When I first looked at it, I was not actually seeing a gender, I was seeing the knot and with the self esteem article I thought of people being all tied up in knots about the stuff our parents, religions and society have programmed in us. After a second look, it looked like the style of shirt was feminine instead of masculine but it still didn’t look threatening or against women or erotic. It was just a knot, almost a tying up of our voices because we are afraid to speak out and be ourselves. Low self esteem is all about not speaking up; not telling people in our lives our beliefs, our needs, our feelings. Yet the knot is a bit loose, like we could untie it if we chose.
Whatever the reason the woman had that reaction, I would bet it has a whole lot to do with things in her life, not really with the picture itself.
You know it’s funny — I don’t see this as an erotic photo. I see her eye and only her eye. The rest of the image is trivial to me, or it is like a book that leads to one conclusion: fixating on that eye and wondering what is going through her mind.
But yeah, if I take it all in…she has the same magnetism that she has in person, which can get my attention from across the room when I am looking the other way.
It is an erotic photo. The “her” is not prepped to sell a product, so I am not getting object. A photo was taken, presented, and I respond. There’s alot of response and that is a good thing. As stated it has to do with me, not “her.” So it is art. And what is the function of art anyway?
The question of the subject being a person with feelings and opinions is a head fuck because it is a work of art I am responding to and not a person. The person could be photoed at another time or another place or I could be at another time or another place and my response could be different. It is a moment in time. A good moment. One to reflect on. And well chosen.
What strikes me the most is this: how much powerful an image can be.
I felt the same way. Sometimes I cannot see how beautiful these sessions are till a couple of months later. Actually we both loved it at the time.
Now we can deconstruct this one. Am I turning her into an erotic object, or does she still get to be a person with feelings? Does her opinion matter?
Thank you. After the discussion and the other photo, it feels really good to see this one! It makes me breathe.