Constructing Gender Cindy Sherman

I chose to look at Cindy Sherman as her work really speaks to me the most and on so many levels. Her work questions identity, which stretches to Gender stereotypes. 

I think about the way she has emerged through her photography. How she portrays certain parts of our society.

She is an artist who doesn't play to her critics and therefore allows herself the freedom to question everything and anything. For example one minute she is making a series of Film Stills which became popular, so she switches it up to challenge their perception of her work. She produced Centrefolds and Horizontals which are borderline pornographic. That series questions the exploitation of both men and women in the Porn industry. I think this is an example where she breaks the Gender construction as she is making both men and women the 'victim' in a way. A victim of the industry they work in. She de-sexualises the female body using mannequins and props. Making images of this industry so grotesque it tears down the stereotype of flawless perfect women in that industry and exposes it as a dirty exploitative job.

In these images she mixes up the genders. Placing breasts on a male bodies and swapping the upper and lower torso so that it completely deconstructs the male and female body. So you think you are looking at something pretty graphic but in reality its more of a parody. She is literally constructing their gender right there, and it has no solid or clear definition. It blurs the lines concerning male and females in the Porn industry.

A completely different series of work where Cindy touches on Gender construct, are her society pictures. These women are standing surrounded by super imposed luxury settings. Caked in make up and draped in fine clothes. Cindy's purpose was to depict these women as having a crisis of identity. While their rich husbands are out at work they stay home getting older and struggling against their place in society.

It's a sad look at women whose lives are dictated by the status they hold born from their husbands career. None of them look like powerful business women. They might have chosen to stay at home while their husband heads out to bring home the bacon. They are empty and alone just like their backdrops. They are more preoccupied with their own status and sophistication they can't see how bland they really are.

It shows women as quite vulnerable concerning their age at least. The struggle against time and the desperation to stay young. I really understand these images and It's and awful situation to put yourself in. But in reality women put themselves through this and I think this reflects Cindy's feeling of the time as she herself reaches an age where your appearance becomes pretty invisible. So this is also a question of personal identity.

As  a whole Cindy Sherman questions identity and gender issues throughout all her work. The fact she can herself portray all of these characters. And confront them on a personal level just makes her work amazing to me. I have looked at her for most of my college year and have enjoyed getting to know her better and why she takes the photos she does.