Final Piece

 My final piece is a series photographs.


These chosen photographs represent the stereotype that has been linked with women. I have explored both sides to the stereotype including the effects that it can have on a woman and also playing on the extreme of the stereotype.

The kitchen is a place where the woman is said to 'belong', to cook, bake and to feed their husbands and children, however my photographs are to show that the kitchen is not the place for every woman.

Being pressured to appear to be something that you're not and that you have no interest in, can create stress and upset. Being a woman is not all about cooking and cleaning. Women are individual human beings with aspirations and dreams, just like men. If they would rather take interest in their appearance than to bake then that is ok.

Women can be powerful if they want to.
Women are allowed to build a career.
Women can be housewives if they want to.

Yet others have no right to tell women what they should be doing with their lives. Everyone is individual and unique, so let them live their life how they want to without generalising the stereotype from decades previous.




The series of photographs below all represent the pressure of the stereotype. Within these compositions, you see myself making a mess due to not being aware of what to do. Once I have made this mess, I then look as though I am in distress due to being aware that I would be judged for what I have done and what I am wearing. These compositions have a strong link to my chosen photographer Aldridge, in that I have chosen various different angles to illustrate this stereotype. I have taken photographs from above and straight on. This adds variety to my final piece. Within this section, I have used alcohol to exaggerate the pressure. The first composition, you see me laughing with the wine in the background. Later on in the series, I appear to become more distressed, therefore I turn back to the wine for help. This also brings back my earlier experiments to do with OCD. The mess that I have made represents the 'disorder' therefore as I become more aware of the mess, I start to panic which is the exact same process that someone with OCD would have, yet in a different format.

The next selection of photographs I have chosen for my final piece represent the typical stereotype that I have played on. Amongst these I appear to create irony within my compositions. For example, the image of me putting on my lipstick, using the oven as a mirror. I appear to be more interested in my appearance rather than taking notice of the environment that I am in. Essentially, this side is showing the cheeky side, highlighting a woman with no interest in baking at all, yet has been put in environment where she doesn't know what to do. I have chosen stereotypical props to use which include my dog, shaver and a handbag. This is to exaggerate the stereotype that I am trying to put across within these compositions. They all represent an item that is normally associated with high maintenance women and I have positioned myself in a way that explores the glamorous side to women. As well as exploring the stereotype of women in the kitchen, it touches on going further into the other extreme. The excessive use of lipstick, the use of the dog, all represent a typical 'glamorous' woman, therefore, I appear to be bringing in another stereotype in that women cannot multi task.

Final piece: Below shows my presented final piece-

My final piece includes all my chosen photographs which all portray the stereotype of women in the kitchen. My chosen method of presentation is to represent something that would be in the home. Personally, I have a cork board in my kitchen at home, this is where we place important things that we need to remember or that we may need in the future. It can range from including telephone numbers, to takeaway leaflets. This is something that has always been familiar to me throughout my life. The pin board also represents the public display of stereotyping. As my photographs are pinned on the board, wherever you place it, it will be noticed and recognised. The chaotic composition of my final piece reflects the narrative within my photographs. It also goes against my previous experimentation within my project to do with order. The composition also reflects what it is like in the home. With children and a husband, the home can become a very chaotic place. The stereotype in itself has been captured within my photographs, the chaos of the composition aiding the pressure that is being portrayed in my photographs.