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WRITTEN / Revised outline of negotiated project proposal

NEGOTIATED PROJECT STAGE 1 /

In light of the third wave of feminism and the state of women's equality globally, what is the future of media representation of women in the UK and beyond?

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES /

1 / To gain a deeper understanding of the state of women's equality globally, and throughout history, and it's pivotal relationship with the fashion industry

2 / To analyse the current state of female representation in both the mainstream fashion publishing industry and niche magazine markets, which will inform predictions of the future of female representation in fashion publishing

3 / To produce a creative physical outcome encompassing the key research I have explored in this project

RESEARCH METHODS / 

1/ In depth personal interviews, face to face and online, with key professionals and my target demographic

2/ Observational focus groups and meetings, recording responses, emotions and reactions to specific texts and images

3 / A wide range of secondary research on related topics from sources such as documentaries, books, journals and blogs

WHO IS MY AUDIENCE? / 

/ Females and males

/ Aged 18 - 30

/ Interested in fashion and gender issues

I chose this audience because I believe that our generation is the one that has the ambition and ability to bridge the gender equality gap in the UK. Research has shown that females of this generation and age are the most likely to be greatly affected by sexism, and unfair and destructive representation of women in the media. This is the demographic that need to hear this message the most.

The internet has been an incredibly destructive force and we were the first generation to be exposed to social media for for the entireity of our adolescence . The internet has unravelled much of what women had worked for throughout the past century, and is continuing to do so.

:evie

READ / Emma Watson at the United Nations

I personally have a lot of interest in the ideologies and politics behind the third wave of feminism. I consider myself a feminist and upon hearing Emma Watson's speech at the United Nations I was inspired to incorporate some of the key points she raised in her speech in my research for my Negotiated Project Stage 1. The below list is taken from an article written by Barbara McNally on the Huffington Post, and highlights some of the ways in which men are discriminated against and suffer at the hands of socially ingrained sexism worldwide, which I feel is an interesting viewpoint in a research project structured around feminism and female representation.

1. Disapproval of the domestic male. Males are not taken as seriously if they decide to have a significant domestic role (also known as "Mr. Mom" reproach). Emma was quick to acknowledge her father as a key nurturing figure in her life, and how society viewed this characteristic in a condemning light. If women are expected to be the primary nurturer by default, this automatically eliminates males who wish to step into the role as more of a principle figure.

2. Rising male mental illness. Emma noted that in the UK, suicide is the leading killer of men age 20-49. This statistic surpasses deaths caused by accidents, cancer and coronary heart disease. A significant reason suicide has such a precedence is because men feel unable to ask for help as it will give the appearance they are somehow less of a "man." If females are solely categorized as the "sensitive communicators" this leaves little room for a male to feel empowered to voice his needs, and process vital feelings.

3. Closeted sexuality and gender identity issues. A New York Times study shows millions of gay men still remain in the closet. Gay men are half as likely as straight men to acknowledge their sexuality on social networks. A tenth of gay men say that they do not even tell their inner circle about their sexuality. Gay porn searches are, for the most part, equally prevalent in all states, including conservative ones. This suggests that there are just as many gay men in less tolerant states as there are in accepting states -- they're just suffering in secret. Statisticians of this study also noted a common assumption from wives is that their husbands may be gay, saying, "In the United States, of all Google searches that begin 'Is my husband...,' the most common word to follow is 'gay.'" Alarmingly, 21 of the 25 states where this question is most frequently probed, support for gay rights is lower than the national average. In other words, many men are directly affected by how society presents and personifies the male gender.

4. Male aggression repercussions. Whether the aggression is within the confines of a corporate boardroom or bedroom walls, males have been conditioned to seek a dominating stance within their relationships (be it co-workers or significant others) and often encouraged to underplay the significance of their aggressive behavior. To allow a woman to rise to an equal or upper hand is often referred to as "being whipped" or other condescending terms.

What this conditioning also advocates is submission. If the male is to render respect as the "top dog" that therefore means the woman must submit to these terms. This superiority rationale leads to repercussions far beyond basic equality.

Statistics show that men make up the majority of gun owners, gang members, sexual assailants, domestic abusers, and stalkers. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, males make up 93.3% of prison inmates. Males also comprise of the majority of corporate fraud.

When men are conditioned to seek and expect control of outside forces, they often lose control of their inner forces, including their actions.

5. Intense success standards. Just as women may fall victim to extraordinary body image standards, men are facing stark insecurities caused by a distorted sense of what it means to be society's definition of a successful man. The stakes keep advancing, leaving men to feel as if they will never reach this unrealistic expectation of a "norm" placed upon them. If society encouraged both men and women to reach for the same stars, the weight of the world wouldn't fall so hard on the male shoulder.

So, clearly "feminism" is not an isolated female issue... it is a human race issue.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-mcnally/what-emma-watsons-un-spee_b_5927282.html

In the coming weeks I am to explore what it really means to be a feminist, for men and women of all ages, online and offline.

:evie

SEEN / china's tortured beauties

China's Tortured Beauties is a short (15 minute) documentary by Journeyman Pictures. Watching this documentary, having previously heard about the craze of skin whitening creams used in Africa and beyond, I was stunned that Chinese women had resorted to such drastic measures (and way, way worse) to achieve a western type of 'beauty', as Shanghai undergoes a rapid transformation into a consumerist and commercial city.
In fact, whitening creams far outnumber the amount of normal beauty creams on the market at the time of the documentary. China's new beauty craze says white skin is chic, as Western capitalist books and magazines permeate the market, changing the ideas and the values of the young women of China. Chinese women now want to look like western celebrities, and chase a very western ideal of beauty. Until very recently, communist ideas valued natural beauty and Chinese women didn't wear much make up at all.
A strong profile - this is the phrase encompassing how Chinese women see the beauty of caucasian western women. Western looking models with pointed features and chiselled cheekbones are seen in most of the advertising within the city of Shanghai. A scene in the documentary features the photoshopping process of one successful Chinese model by a photographer - he changes the shape of her face entirely, elongating her profile and chin, lightening her skin.
One of the young women interviewed in the documentary says that she believes western women are more beautiful as they have more three-dimensional features, and photograph better. Many of these young Chinese women think a prettier, whiter face will help their future career and social prospects. Some footage played in the documentary reveals that this may be true in part, as a job recruitment process plays out like a catwalk pageantry show. These women are willing to undergo very painful surgery to get this look. Some agencies in China hold exclusive marriage markets for wealthy chinese businessmen, who aim to find a western looking wife.
The average height for the Chinese woman is just under 5ft2, and some women are choosing to undergo horrifically painful and potentially dangerous leg lengthening surgeries to gain a few inches to increase their career and marriage prospects. In this procedure, the bones in the leg are sawn in two, and braces are inserted in the leg to stretch it as the bone grows back. Some clinics perform up to 300 procedures a year. Painful and potentially life threatening surgeries are becoming the cultural norm for Chinese women, especially in urban areas such as Shanghai.

:evie

SEEN / the codes of gender

The codes of gender is a 2009 documentary written and directed by Sut Jhally. The documentary itself is a powerful analysis of gender codes in society and advertising, applying the theories of Erving Goffman and John Berger to help understand these culturally ingrained codes of gender that we have become conditioned to inherently believe. Goffman tells us that in order to see these codes in advertising, we need to subvert them to realize how strange they are.

The gender display is defined as the process whereby we perform the roles expected of us by social convention. Gender is not the result of birth or gender, but an act that we construct to define ourselves. They’re so deeply ingrained that we don’t even notice them anymore.  We feel the need to categorise people as male or female in order to interact with them.

The documentary discusses femininity and masculinity at length, comparing the codes of masculine and feminine identity and how they are used together in advertising to create something Goffman describes as commercial realism. Femininity has a subordinant relationship to masculinity.

“advertisers conventionalise our conventions, stylize what is already a stylization, make frivolous use of what is already something considerably out of our contextual controls. Their hype is hyper-ritualised.”

“boys have to push their way into manhood, and problematic effort is involved while girls merely have to unfold”

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/codes-gender/

:evie

the beginning /

inspired by my summer research, i have decided to structure my stage one project around female representation in the fashion publishing industry, implemented into the construction of a feminism and fashion centric magazine. i plan to research this topic with the use of interviews, video observation and attending trend forecasting events such as LSN:Global briefings, alongside a great deal of secondary research around feminism, media, publishing and fashion history. this blog will be a place to record my observations and study plans, alongside interesting articles and documentaries that will influence my project.

:evie