What feminism looks like through the eyes of stock photographers
No matter how clichéed NI was the concept of "feminism" the majority still cannot give it a clear definition. Is a feminist a strong woman? A woman who seeks to dominate? Not caring for yourself? Maybe a woman who just wants universal equality? Despite the lack of clear ideas about feminism, there is a category of people who have visualized this concept and actually identified it. These are photographers whose pictures we see in stocks under the tag "feminism" when we want to illustrate an article.
It is considered that real photographers should not send their work to stock agencies, even when you are in a financial hole, from which it is not possible to get out. Most of the photographers who can be seen on the pages of magazines, and the truth follow this rule - their work is pointed, made either to order, or bought directly by the magazine. Those who have decided to give themselves at the mercy of the photomarket have to go through several circles of hell and understand the legal aspects of working with photo stocks. The most interesting and main point is the correct, correct tagging of your work. By tags and keywords, you can find a suitable illustration of a line from a song, and even a cow in depression. That is why the keywords for the picture are set by the photographer himself. Each person, of course, is a personality and individuality, but when a whole tumbler appears with pictures from the drains about cheerful women eating salad alone, you begin to seriously doubt.
In the fall of 2013, The Cut published an article entitled “The Concept of Feminism According to Stock Photography”. It was assumed that the pictures with the tag "feminism" should have improved the image of a woman, but every second photographer appeared in the genre of "male chauvinistic pig." It turned out that the feminist is a boxer who loves to humiliate a man, stepping on his head with her heel, adoring the nails with a circular saw and — ta-dam! - not a person at all - in the drains there is a whole series of photos of feminists with six hands. Of course, one of them she rocks the baby, the second makes calls, the third keeps the pan, and the rest simply rejoices (apparently independence). Approximately 99% of stock photographers imagine equal rights to themselves.
Angered by such ideas about women, Pam Grossman, director of visual trends at the photo agency Getty Images, launched her project - Lean In Collection. The main idea was to show women in the photo as they are - without excessive photoshop and theatrical staging, so that the force there is illustrated not with a boxing glove, but the love of comfort - not with a frying pan. Grossman wanted to return the photos of its original meaning - to outline the reality, and not to humiliate a woman with a set of stereotypes. It must be said that not only women look stupid in stock photos, but such is the nature of stock agencies ’agencies - they all have to look for a pearl in the stream of an improbable trash. Despite a good beginning, Grossman managed to criticize a little for the lack of women in the world of science, technology or even photographs illustrating a woman in the world of mathematics. Some people sarcastically note that modern feminism has more serious problems than portraits of women in stock photos. Pam Grossman retorts, like a real feminist: “We all have a responsibility to use the tools we have to make the world a better place. Do we think this is the only way to solve the problem of equality between women and girls? Of course not. But this what we have power for right now. "
Pam Grossman, probably, would have lost her speechless if she had seen feminism in Russian stock agencies. For Kommersant Photo, feminism simply does not exist: the only photograph present there is the opposition march against the executioners. In RIA Novosti, feminism is illustrated with black and white woodcut, "Liberation of a Woman of the East. Burning the Burqa," also in a single copy. In ITAR-TASS, feminism is present on 18 pages and fully embodies the Russian approach to business. First, there feminism exists first of all as a historical concept: there were some women suffragists, sometimes socialists, there were a lot of them, most often they were non-Russians and liked to depict them on stamps. Secondly, feminism is devilry: girls with red horns and whips are interspersed with boxers - the latter are just amazingly many in satanic poses. Thirdly, a real feminist loves to shave his face (!) With a kitchen knife, shoot a bow, step on a man’s head with his heel and just make a contribution. The composition ends with Maria Arbatova, the main Russian feminist, according to ITAR-TASS, with a photo in a casino at the karaoke championship.
Where such ideas about feminism come from is not an idle question and deserves a separate discussion. Abroad, they are just groping for the correct intonation in order to tell about the gender equality movement in the language of illustration. For the Russian stock market, this is too complicated - feminism either does not exist here, or it is dense and literally bearded. Obviously, the destruction of stereotypes should be taken into the hands of photo agency directors on the example of a foreign colleague - as long as ordinary photographers continue to tag themselves to a photo, a real feminist will continue to box with six hands, although she could cook borsch.
The photo: Photo via Shutterstock lev dolgachov, www.alamy.com, Mosichev Valentin / Photo by ITAR-TASS