Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman is a photographer who worked from the late 20th century often on work which had a deep conceptual meaning and awareness. As my project is based on stereotypes within women, I have found a really helpful project which was created by her based on a similar thing. It covers the same topic of women stereotypes. The project is named Untitled Film Stills and is a series of 60 black and white photographs taken between 1977 and 1980. In the photographs she resembles scenarios and stereotyping about women and their roles by taking a range of portraits. Some of them look a lot more staged and planned than others as there's a variety with studio setting and casual settings. She used vintage clothing, wigs and make up to create a range of images.

The photograph to the right is one of my favourites as I feel it realy captures the way women were and still are (to an extent) perceived. We're thought of as vulnerable and emotional compared to men who are supposedly strong and tough. The facial expression on the woman conveys a very upset and emotional concept which supports the idea of which women are stereotyped. The contents of the image (the clothing, style and just overall fashion) also helps to stereotype and group the female gender. The leopard prints makes her seem and look like a higher class woman who is quite well off and her haircut also suggests this but then you see her face and she looks pretty upset so it's making the connection between women and vulnerability instead of pure sadness and people of all genders.

This second photograph I have chosen to analyse is the one to my left which is another one I highly admire. I ove the way the woman looks so lost in thought and in a bit of a rut. She isn't a joyous, happy character but instead quite a deep, vulnerable woman. The fact that she only has a towel covering her brings out the 'woman' stereotype of having the 'perfect body and something which pleases men so by having a basically nude body it bring out her apparent 'womanliness'.