Barbara Kruger Image assignment
“The mind/body dualism is no mere philosophical position, to be defended or dispensed with by clever argument. Rather, it is a practical metaphysics that has been deployed and socially embodied in medicine, law, literary and artistic representations, the psychological construction of self, interpersonal relationships, popular culture, and advertisements - - a metaphysics which will be deconstructed only through concrete transformation of the institutions and practices that sustain it.” –Susan Bordo Unbearable Weight
The mind/body dualism is nothing new. Descartes made the distinction between the two in his Meditations, Objections, and Responses way back when. He determined that the body was functionally meaningless, a heavy weight which followed our ever thought, yet had no real relevance to our existence. Instead, he reasoned that the mind was the crux of every being’s existence, thus making the body a mere burden.
The original photograph was taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt on V-J Day, Victory over Japan. He may have had the simple intention of catching a joyous moment between two estranged lovers in order to mark the end of war, and the beginning of a happy life. However, I felt that this image exhibits the classic Lacanian “male gaze,” “the determining male gaze that projects its fantasy onto the female figure” (Laura Mulvey). The woman is cradled, powerless, in the arms of her soldier. He dips her and takes her ever-so-romantically by the mouth. I felt that this picture could represent the mind/body dualism in that the man is seen as the victorious, thoughtful subject, whereas the woman is merely a picturesque submissive body. Her face is covered by his hand, and her knees are visibly weakened. She is HIS. She has no subjectivity in this photo; she is a mere piece of flesh in a pretty outfit.
I needed to change this…
Foucault says that discourse consists of “rules and practices that produce meaningful statements and regulate what can be spoken about in different historical periods….a group of statements which provide a means for talking about (and a way of representing knowledge about) a particular topic at a particular historical moment.”
In order to change this representation, I tried using the text to make a sarcastic statement about the idea of a woman’s body and her powerlessness when in the arms of a man. I experimented with placing the text around the figures, below them and simply across them - - none of which really displayed what I wanted. I ended up placing “he missed” directly above the man’s head in order to associate it with his thoughts, his mind. The placement of “his” is quite obvious, it covers her torso in order to show the possessiveness which he has taken for her body, her identity. And finally, “plumbing” is meant to hyper sexualize her body, just as dominant institutions in the media and society have done for women. I tried placing the word so that the “l” and the “b” frame her skirt and point up it. The text is a tad vulgar when you think about it, and that’s how I wanted it. If you can get past the literal connotation that “plumbing” has, you may see that I was trying to show how the body has been so important in determining the value of a woman, even if it means that she becomes plumbing. In this photo, I feel she is exactly that - - hollow, empty and “useful.” It’s not to say that actually are these things or this is how all women are - - no not at all what I am trying to say. This is instead, how we have often been looked upon in society and exhibited as in photographs. The intent of the photo is not to shift power and make the woman look more powerful. Power is not “top-down” and the solution to changing power relations is not to reverse its source to its subject. Instead, power may be seen as networked, a constant struggle between consumer and producer. The photo is meant to be met with disagreement - - “no she is not plumbing!” or “that’s not what he is thinking!” But that, is in fact how society works. Unlike the photo, power relations and gender struggles have become much more benevolent looking and covert. The sheets have been pulled over our eyes, and I urge you to rip them off.
The mind/body dualism is nothing new. Descartes made the distinction between the two in his Meditations, Objections, and Responses way back when. He determined that the body was functionally meaningless, a heavy weight which followed our ever thought, yet had no real relevance to our existence. Instead, he reasoned that the mind was the crux of every being’s existence, thus making the body a mere burden.
The original photograph was taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt on V-J Day, Victory over Japan. He may have had the simple intention of catching a joyous moment between two estranged lovers in order to mark the end of war, and the beginning of a happy life. However, I felt that this image exhibits the classic Lacanian “male gaze,” “the determining male gaze that projects its fantasy onto the female figure” (Laura Mulvey). The woman is cradled, powerless, in the arms of her soldier. He dips her and takes her ever-so-romantically by the mouth. I felt that this picture could represent the mind/body dualism in that the man is seen as the victorious, thoughtful subject, whereas the woman is merely a picturesque submissive body. Her face is covered by his hand, and her knees are visibly weakened. She is HIS. She has no subjectivity in this photo; she is a mere piece of flesh in a pretty outfit.
I needed to change this…
Foucault says that discourse consists of “rules and practices that produce meaningful statements and regulate what can be spoken about in different historical periods….a group of statements which provide a means for talking about (and a way of representing knowledge about) a particular topic at a particular historical moment.”
In order to change this representation, I tried using the text to make a sarcastic statement about the idea of a woman’s body and her powerlessness when in the arms of a man. I experimented with placing the text around the figures, below them and simply across them - - none of which really displayed what I wanted. I ended up placing “he missed” directly above the man’s head in order to associate it with his thoughts, his mind. The placement of “his” is quite obvious, it covers her torso in order to show the possessiveness which he has taken for her body, her identity. And finally, “plumbing” is meant to hyper sexualize her body, just as dominant institutions in the media and society have done for women. I tried placing the word so that the “l” and the “b” frame her skirt and point up it. The text is a tad vulgar when you think about it, and that’s how I wanted it. If you can get past the literal connotation that “plumbing” has, you may see that I was trying to show how the body has been so important in determining the value of a woman, even if it means that she becomes plumbing. In this photo, I feel she is exactly that - - hollow, empty and “useful.” It’s not to say that actually are these things or this is how all women are - - no not at all what I am trying to say. This is instead, how we have often been looked upon in society and exhibited as in photographs. The intent of the photo is not to shift power and make the woman look more powerful. Power is not “top-down” and the solution to changing power relations is not to reverse its source to its subject. Instead, power may be seen as networked, a constant struggle between consumer and producer. The photo is meant to be met with disagreement - - “no she is not plumbing!” or “that’s not what he is thinking!” But that, is in fact how society works. Unlike the photo, power relations and gender struggles have become much more benevolent looking and covert. The sheets have been pulled over our eyes, and I urge you to rip them off.
posted by Jazmyn Henry at
3:45 PM
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