literarylens.org » Internet drama http://literarylens.org Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:33:23 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Flickr feminism. http://literarylens.org/2009/01/flickr-feminism/ http://literarylens.org/2009/01/flickr-feminism/#comments Sat, 03 Jan 2009 00:28:48 +0000 Lauren Felton http://looking-in.net/?p=170 The backstory: I recently joined a Flickr group that requires you to rate and comment 5 photos from the previous poster in the group’s photo pool. I thought it was a great idea because I personally love commenting on others’ photos and getting them in return, but a lot of people join groups just for personal exposure and don’t necessarily like to return the favour. Unfortunately, in a group like this, you have no way of knowing who will end up commenting on your photos, which can lead to a number of problems: you might get someone who leaves a short, obnoxious comment just to get the job done, you might get someone who knows nothing about photography and leaves a very idiotic commentary, or you might get an uneducated asshole whose comments are some combination of both the ‘obnoxious’ element and the ‘idiotic’ element.

In my case, the person who ended up commenting my photos doesn’t seem fond of self-portraiture. Normally I’d be fine with that — there’s plenty more on my Flickr to look at, I think. However, he commented mainly on my self-portraits and insisted on mentioning in each comment how narcissistic I am. This is something every artist who has ever taken a self-portrait has probably heard — people are quick to simple-mindedly dismiss the entire genre and reduce it to narcissism without recognizing its artistic capacity because all they see is you wanting to show yourself to the world rather than your photography. However, what really bugged me about the comment was that he attacked my personal beliefs while giving his perspective on the photo. Apparently isn’t not fit for a feminist to “expose her naked body online.” (‘Naked’ meaning topless. WITH MY ARM COVERING MY BREASTS. Scandalous, right?)

Joking aside, this could’ve been a fully nude portrait for all I care, and the fact that it’s exhibited online is merely a reflection of our generation’s culture — where else does one collect and show their work nowadays? Even our journals are now published blogs (or even vlogs) and an outline of every aspect of our personalities is available on facebook.com. But anyway, had I been male, I obviously would not have received this comment. Men can take off their shirts and walk around topless all they’d like — and believe me, there are plenty of men out there who would require much larger bra sizes than my ‘Nearly B’ cup if it were common for men to wear bras in our society. In fact, that’s just the type of double standard much of my photography seeks to explore — the idea that as women, we’re taught to cover up our bodies and fear our own sexuality rather than openly and freely expressing it. But it’s perfectly acceptable to show it in a more exploitative way, of course. Male recording artists can have all the tits and ass they want in their videos, but when a woman wants to explore her own sexuality or even talk about it in a mature fashion, it’s complete taboo. It’s a shame that so much of our society is still stuck in that mindset.

For reference, you can view the photo and comments here.

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