Research Log

The Gay Beards

Denotation- There are rainbow sprinkles in a mans beard.
Connotation- The sprinkles in the man's beard show the collision of bright somewhat feminine colours with the traditionally masculine concept of the beard.  The sprinkles can also symbolise the way in which women are often seen as working in the kitchen and baking a lot but men often do not take part in this hobby.
Context-  The social context of this image is that it is discussing gender norms specifically feminine masculinity which is more socially accepted at this time than his previously been.

Barbara Kruger 



Denotation- A picture of Marilyn Monroe laughing captioned with the slogan "not stupid enough" as well as several other negatives phrases framing the image.
Connotation- Red is used to frame the image as it is an extremely emotive colour with connotations of sexual desire as well as anger.  Marilyn Monroe is used as although she was one of the most beautiful women of her time she did not fit the female archetype of the dumb blond as she was in fact very intelligent and the phrase "not stupid enough" shows that her intelligence threatens the male population which leads to her being ostracised for it.
Context- Socially women have been seen as less intelligent than men for many years.

Hannah Altman



Denotation- This image is of a women posed sexually on a bed with bruises which have been created through physical photography using ink fingerprinting.
Connotation- This image conveys a message about domestic violence and shows the fact that although someones pain may not be necessarily visible it may still be present.
Context- This image aims to create a dialogue discussing domestic violence as it is still quite an socially and culturally taboo topic that affects many people from different walks of life.

Liora K

Denotation- This is a image of a man with Feminist written across his back.
Connotation- The connotations of this image are that everyone in society needs feminism as it is movement based around equality for everyone and is not just about female rights.
Context- The context behind this image is socio-political as it focuses on the feminist movement and how in this time period it has begun to branch out widely in the male community as well as the male community as it is becoming widely recognised as a movement beneficial to all genders.

Slinkachu

Denotation- This image shows a collection of miniature figurines walking along a barbed wire fence.
Connotation- The figurines walking along the barbed wire represent people attempting to free themselves from the oppressive society but being forced to walk along a dangerous socio-political tightrope to prevent themselves from becoming harmed.  
Context- This image represents the way in which people are attempting to break free form societies rules and regulations.

Sarah Maple



Denotation- A women is attempting to cut off her tongue.
Connotation- The connotation behind this image is that women do not always have a voice and are often prevented from speaking out about issues surrounding them and their freedom.
Context- The context for this image is that even in the 21st century in many countries women can be killed for speaking out about their rights.

Phebe Schmidt 

Denotation- A crying woman wearing a dog collar style choker.

Connotation- Women are viewed as property by men and as such can be owned by them and have their rights removed leaving them as simply objects for mens desire.  This idea is further stressed through the womans tears and lipstick showing that she is not happy about her situation but must conform and is trapped.

Context- The context behind this image is that many men have positions of authority and power in areas that women do not have for example more respect in the workplace.

Michelle Bisaillon



Denotation- A pair of handcuffs reflected in a heart shape mirror.
Connotation- The pink lighting represents societies typical views of femininity, the mirror shows that women are often perceived as being vain and beauty conscious whilst the handcuffs in the heart symbolise the fact that many people in romantic relationships become trapped by love.  
Context- The context of this image is that the vanity is often perceived as one of the main priorities of women in the 21st century.

Lia (girls by girls)



Denotation-A girl playing with makeup and stickers.
Connotations- Depicts the transition from childhood to adult hood as the stickers symbolise childhood whilst the lipstick and perfume symbolise adult hood and beauty ideals.  The use of pink in the image adds to the feminine feel of the image and contrasts nicely with the blue grey of the dresser and nail varnish.
Context- Makeup is viewed by society as the gateway to woman hood.

Kiele Twarowski



Denotation- A condom on a pink bed spread positioned next to a hair tie and a girls feet.
Connotation- The pastel pink colouration of the image gives it a childlike feel which is emphasised by the hair tie and girls feet in childlike shoes.  The childlike fseel of the image is juxtaposed by the condom on the bed.  The image composition delivers the message that girls are forced to grow up too fast.
Context- Girls in the 21st century are often seen as being overly mature at a young age through use of makeup etc.

Ali Seglins



Denotation- A woman looking at her reflection in the mirror at a makeup counter.
Connotation- The lack of makeup on the woman's face symbolises her unwillingness to conform to societies strict constraints her rejection of femininity is also shown through her short hair cut as women are usual depicted with long hair by society.  
Context- The need to wear makeup up us often placed upon girls from a young age to meet societies standards of beauty.

Rosea Lake



Denotation- Different words used by many to describe women e:g "slut" "whore" "prudish" written at different places on the back of a woman's leg.
Connotation- The connotations of this image is that women are often judged for what they choose to wear whether it is too long or too short.
Context- The image was created to create a dialogue around the subject of women's dress and the fact that ultimately it is the woman's choice and therefore you should not be judging them for their clothing as it does not affect you.

Ulric Collete

Denotation- Two peoples whose faces have been merged together.

Connotation- Demonstrates the fact that even though people may appear to be different we are all the same inside and can still fit together in society.

Context- Ulric merges family members faces to show the similarity that they bare to each other even though they may have wildly varied political beliefs or social views.

Gillian Wearing

Denotation- A man holding a sign which reads "I'm desperate". 

Connotation- The connotations for this image are that although the man appears to be of a reasonable status he is not truly happy.  This lack of true happiness could be linked to a variety of things which are unknown to the viewer making the image more relatable.

Context- The image shows that even the most well of can be unhappy which is a common theme of the time due to the fact that the current majority of jobs are boring.

Denotation- A woman with check boxes drawn on her chest.

Connotation- The fact that me is ticked opposed to the other options shows the woman's unwillingness to conform to society.

Context- The context for this image is that the gender binary is being rejected by todays society.