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Gender stereotypes and popular culture
Modern clothing essay
Modern clothing essay
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Through Liam Benson’s photographic video, we become familiar with the many layers and ideas he is trying to express to his auidence. One clear message that we can gain is the idea towards Australian male identity, and how he has cleverly chosen to capture this message through his artwork. One way he has challenged this idea is through the use of particular clothing, dressing the upper half of the body in a modern day blouse, and the lower half dress in a historical colonial female skirt. Through this, we are exposed to the idea of the modern day and the present, showing how through time the views on men have changed to form a very stereotypical expectation. The expectation as been redefined when we see the controversial character that Liam …show more content…
When viewing this image we are instantly drawn to the abundant use of brightly coloured yellow and green flowers. The flowers are a representation of Australia, highlighting the familiar green and gold colours. As well as this, it can be concluded that flowers are stereotypically know to be feminine. I think that through Liam Benson surrounding himself with feminine flowers, coloured that of the Australia flag is sharing a deep and meaningful message about male identity, but more importantly expressing the idea of gender equality. This proves that flowers should not only be subject to females. This is significant because it shows the auidence a side to our world that would be filled with equality, consisting of equal judgements for both genders. In plate 5, we also see the australian code of arms, highlighted by the rich, dark colour of Liam Benson’s hair. The australian code of arms is one that is mostly used to represent authority and property of the australian government. This once again leads us to the idea of men having their stereotype of power and bravery. We also see the kangaroo and the emu, which are believed the symbolise a nation moving forward. Through the eyes of Liam Benson this could relate back to his idea of male identity, proving how through his empowering artworks he is able to express to an audience his vision to slowly remove male australians of their stereotypes that australia has
The voices of individuals in shaping the perspective on Australian issues are presented in Bruce Dawe’s poetry. Dawe's ability to express the drama and beauty of everyday life has made his work readily accessible to the general public. Bruce Dawe’s primary purpose in his poetry was to depict the unspoken social issues, concerning the typical Australian suburban residents. His concern for these matters is evident through his mocking approach to the issues he presents in his poems. The poem “___” and the related text help shape our perspective on Australian issues through Dawe's use of techniques and context.
Anne Zahalka cleverly presents her intentions and interests in the world clearly throughout her artworks, more specifically her series ‘Welcome to Sydney’. Through the creation of this series Zahalka was interested in the changing multicultural nature of Australian society, closely drawing the audiences attention to the cultural frame. She effectively does this by portraying the subjects with dignity and respect by deliberately positioning them in an area in which they connect with. In doing so, Zahalka acknowledges her own experience, as the daughter of immigrant parents has influenced her conceptual practice. She uses cultural symbols to show the individuals are different, yet making them as one being put into Australian locations. In the image ‘Guangan Wu, Market Gardens, Kyeemagh’ a chinese immigrant stands in a panoramic landscape of market garden...
A noticeable symbol in the piece is how the roles are reversed the Aboriginal man being the minority and the European culture being much more prominent in Australia in the 1980s. This shows how time has affected the culture and the journey of the Aboriginal culture has resulted in a loss of tradition and loss of ancestral history. Another noticeable symbol is that the Aboriginal man is in a white suit, this could mean a number of things the assimilation process, the change in culture to fit into modern society or just a wardrobe choice. If the suit does have a purpose it is showing how he has taken on white culture but the picture of an Indigenous man pasted over his own face could represent that even though he has lost his culture he still at heart is tied to his ancestral past. Another is the men and woman in the background on the hill in The Conciliation are now grey statues.
One of the many factors that have contributed to the success of Australian poetry both locally and internationally is the insightful commentary or depiction of issues uniquely Australian or strongly applicable to Australia. Many Australian poets have been and are fascinated by the issues relevant to Australia. Many in fact nearly all of these poets have been influenced or have experienced the subject matter they are discussing. These poets range from Oodgeroo Noonuccal Aboriginal and women’s rights activist to Banjo Patterson describing life in the bush. Bruce Dawe is also one of these poets. His insightful representation of the dreary, depressing life of many stay at home mothers in “Up the Wall” is a brilliant example of a poem strongly relevant to Australia.
John’s “Metrosexuals Come Out”, referring to the commercialism that has reached the idea of being metrosexual and entirely redefining it. Metrosexuals were once deemed embarrassing or strange, but when the fashion industry began to embrace it, a large number of men did as well. The idea of sensitivity or even femininity in regards to a man was seen as strange, until metrosexuals began to be more desirable, thanks to the fashion industry, who used the angle of these stylish men to make more sales and even go so far as to change the idea that men cannot and should not be feminine. The movement to accept metrosexuals went so far that “[w]ithin a few years, the term was picked up by British advertisers and newspapers”. (175) Art and advertisement changed in this way, allowing for men and marketing to enjoy something
Australians in this film are represented as people who have bad jobs but jobs that they love. This is shown as Kenny is a worker in a small business but loves everything that he does, he went to the toilet convention in America to buy and sell the portable toilets that he loves. Australians are also stereotypically know as people who have never ending compassion to things they like such as Jackie, the woman who was the flight attendant on the plane he was on to the convention. Throughout the film you can see the Australians that are represented aren’t often wearing nice clothes (such as tuxedos, or formal wear) this is a stereotype as they are
Through numerous poetic techniques Paterson has shown that the Australian diversity is as diverse as the country itself. The Australian identity concerns the way Australia is viewed by other people. There are a variety of different aspects that contribute to this identity of Australia which include historical icons. Paterson recognizes how lucky we are to live on a land notorious for its diverse landscape. He is signaling that we are missing out and we need to cherish the great land we were given.
In both historical and contemporary contexts, gender has had a significant impact on space, power, and social rules of the land. Colonialism and globalisation have further shaped this social process through the perspectives of capital and possessions creating legitimized colonial maps. Such shaping of the space and maps can be attributed to the attempts of exclusion and forced assimilation whether through the gentrification of urban areas or through attempts to deny the sovereignty, for the generation of profit. This has resulted in the denigration of traditional conditions of women around the globe and in particular Aboriginal women in Australia. This essay will map the historical role of colonialism and neocolonialism in refashioning the geography of Australia in a racialised, patriarchal landscape and highlight how this has contributed to the spatially specific ‘ongoing dispossession’ of Indigenous peoples within Australia.. To further demonstrate this, I will focus on the mapping and the development of Australian landscape historically, as well as the spatial representation in the colonial processes attached to this.
Despite Hurley’s expedition to Papua New Guinea being plagued with various controversies, “he unintentionally left them with something of immense value, a record of their lost culture” ultimately, depicting the power Hurley’s images had to preserve an aspect of life as unreturnable as a dying culture. This narration combined with the fragments of [insert names] interview showcase the ways Hurley captured the New Guinean civilisation through the barrel and his camera, demonstrating the enduring quality of his photography. Consequently Hurley provides future generations of the New Guinean society with a record of lost customs, practices and traditions allowing the culture to be continually passed down and prosper, rather than vanishing completely. Moreover, Hurley’s realisation that through camerawork he had the opportunity to “photograph the nation [Australia] as he wished it to be” forever transformed the demographic of Australian society. Acting as a catalyst, changing it from the once exclusively British society. This in turn ultimately paints Australia as a utopian society with “no poor, no indigenous Australians, no struggling farmers” inspiring over six million migrants to journey to the land of supposed boundless opportunity depicted in Hurley’s photographs, thus expressing the societal impacts of the ramifications of individual and communal
Lawson effectively uses first hand observation and masterful use of the distinctively visual language to provide the reader with a bleak and uninviting perspective of the Australian outback. Visual images are the key to understanding a world that the audience have not experienced and it provides an insight into the harsh environments of the Australian Outback and the sacrifices women have to make living in such harsh and terror filled environments. These points are converted through Henry Lawson's “The Drovers Wife” and “The Bush Undertaker”.
Some of the issues raised include; appreciation for the Australian landscape, and the female form, political power, changing social values, and drug addiction. His works are a poignant representation of the Australia and encapsulate the dominant attitudes of our society. Particularly the piece ‘The Arrival’ (1988) as it explores issues even now still current to Australia, such as white dominance over the Indigenous. Whiteley’s love for the landscape is repeatedly demonstrated in his works, encouraging an appreciation in audiences for the natural Australian setting. Whiteley remained completely loyal to the Australian scenery, from as early as ‘Sofala’ (1958) to ‘Far North Queensland - Port Douglas’ (1992), the latter providing a birds eye view of Queensland, creating an immersion of the audience into the piece. Whiteley has impacted on audience’s by pushing the boundaries of erotic art. His representation of his wife’s body as sensuous has allowed for erotic art to become more unrestrained. Drug addiction and feelings of disconnection are also motifs of Whiteley’s work. The piece, ‘Art, life and that other thing’, has especially generated great thought within audiences towards how drug addiction can destroy a person’s sense of self. The piece itself, explores Whiteley’s fragmented identity, his disconnection because of drug addiction. The screaming baboon, pierced by nails has
In contrast, Musa conveys the reformation of idealistic perceptions through his distinctive Australian voice as the changing values of Australia shape the new generation within his locale. Musa’s experiences an alternative perspective in comparison to the stereotypical expectations of Australia where “no don Bradman/ no pavlova” but instead “the generation who printed a crystal font on its bloodstream.” Musa’s use of juxtaposition conveys a marginalised community voice, providing the audience an insightful experience of the reality in Musa’s disregarded community in contrast with the stereotypical Australian perspectives. Musa further conveys the changing values of Australian idealism through generational changes in expectations and values
Distinctively visual allows one to explore the ways images are created through the use of visual and literary techniques. The Australian bush is a harsh, dangerous and lonely land with no one around for miles. Henry Lawson clearly identifies this as he highlights the difficulty and consequences if one doesn’t adapt to it. The prescribed texts ‘The Drover’s Wife’, ‘In a Dry Season’ and ‘The Bush Undertaker’ by Henry Lawson and related material ‘Spelling Father’ by Marshall Davis-Jones as well as ‘Australia’ directed by Baz Luhrmann paint an image of what is normal for someone in their position as well as what they need to be. This can be seen through the concepts love for the family, the harsh Australian environment and the eccentric minds stereotypically found in the bush.
“In my mind, the ultimate objective is to cause all Australians to have about them a spontaneous national pride in Indigenous Australia”, Kevin Rudd. It is important that Australian schools provide students with the opportunity to learn about the Australian Indigenous people. This is because they are a part of Australia’s history and cultural background and we need to appreciate their uniqueness. This is illustrated though the poems ‘No More Boomerang’ and ‘Then and Now’, by Oodgeroo Noonuccal. It is also represented in the picture book ‘The Rabbits’, by Shawn Tan and John Marsden. These texts demonstrate how the Aboriginal people experienced a loss of culture, land and traditions due to the colonization of Australia.
To most of us, the only encounter with Australian identity is through the eye of popular culture. And while most Australians would agree that our national identity is alive and well, pop culture’s fixation on the ‘typical Australian’ is tedious and inaccurate.