Photography and Text by Zhujun Ding
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FEMALE GAZE
Male Gaze, a concept coined by feminist film critic Laura Mulvey, refers to the dominant masculine perspective within today’s visual world. It describes the tendency in visual culture to depict the world and women from a masculine point of view and in terms of men’s attitudes. In my work, I tend to break this biased and inequitable social norm by constructing a Female Gaze.
As a female photographer, I am trying to represent my own vision of the female body through a nontraditionally masculine-sexually-objectified lens. I added a layer of floral patterns on the model’s body. This layer not only produces a more artistic and aesthetic feeling, it also serves as a coat for the vulnerable body. Female nudes are commonly, thoroughly and at the same time vulnerably exposed in today’s visual culture, under the male gaze. Sympathizing with their predicament, I am inclined to save them from the hungry male gaze as well as from man’s physically natural desire for intrusion.
As the society is getting more LGBT friendly, I am also trying to create an aura of erotism for the lesbian community.
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Photography and Text by Bamboo Zhujun Ding, Copyright 2015
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About The Author: “BamBoo” Zhujun Ding is a student of Bryn Mawr College, class of 2016. She majors in History of Art and believes it is a way for her to cultivate her aesthetic as well as understand the conceptual intuition of artists & designers. She wants to pursue a career in either the media or fashion (or both) industry’s after graduation. To read more articles by Zhujun Ding, go to the search bar at the bottom of the page, type in name: click the search icon.