Essay on Images: Mapplethorpe
When I first opened Seeing and Writing, I stumbled upon a picture, a picture of bare-shouldered woman. At first glance, I was sure that it was a picture of a woman, but after I read the subtitle, I realized that it is the self-portrait of Robert Mapplethorpe. Robert Mapplethorpe was a famous American photographer whose work had been critically acclaimed despite accusations of pornographic content in some of his photographs. I found that there were two pictures; both are the self-portrait of Robert Mapplethorpe but in different gender roles. Based on Merriam Webster Dictionary, gender is: the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex. The first portrait pictures him as a man, while in the second portrait he is pictured as a woman. I was surprised when I looked at both of these pictures, and I asked myself a question: what was his intention when he was making these pictures? There was no easy answer for it. But by comparing and contrasting the two portraits, I was sure that Mapplethorpe was trying to present to the viewers that the difference in clothing is such a clear communicator of gender identity. In the first portrait, Robert Mapplethorpe is pictured as a male icon of masculinity. He w
Many people believe that anatomy is destiny, nothing we can do to alter it. They claim that man and woman are essentially different, physically and emotionally. From both of the self-portraits of Robert Mapplethorpe we can argue that exterior appearance can be a clear communicator of gender identity. Why do we have such an opinion? What alters our opinion towards that particular picture? If somebody was asked to look at both pictures and identify them in an instant, he or she will say that the first portrait is a picture of a male and the second as a picture of a female. But how do they arrive to such conclusion? I believe that his or her decision was affected by the femininity qualities and masculinity qualities, which are clearly represented by both portraits. Femininity is the quality of looking and behaving in ways conventionally thought to be appropriate for a woman or girl, while masculinity is those qualities conventionally supposed to make a man a typical or excellent specimen of manhood, traditionally physical strength and courage. The first picture has those qualities of manhood, the qualities perceived by the society as male icon, such as the hairstyle, the expression and the cloth. The society distinguishes the second picture to be a female icon because of the hairstyle and the facial expression, the kind of qualities needed to satisfy the expectation towards woman's manners. Mapplethorpe also presents another way to distinguish male and female figure, through their facial expression. In the first picture he wears that tough, James Dean look, the kind of facial expression you would expect from a macho man. In contrast, he wears a softer, more amiable look in the second picture. In the first picture, his eyes stare directly to the viewers with "I don't care" look, which more associated to men. While in the second picture, he stares the viewers with his fully open eyes. This kind a look is the type "
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1297
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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