An overall rationale of my photography can be found on
my home page
Many
women put a lot of effort into looking beautiful. This
effort can make a woman feel false, like we are made of
plastic.
We wax and shave our body hair, insert implants into our
breasts, botox our lips and wrinkles, libosuction our
tummies and go on various diets and exercise reigms. We
wear make-up, colour and style our hair and wear high
heels.
Some women become self conscious about their bodies, not
wanting to go swimming or play sport in skimpy clothes.
Polite smiles can seem false, especially if a woman is
suffering period pain, yet bravely continuing to function
fulfil all her responsibilities.
Menstruation is one time when the reality of a female body
hits home. It can be hidden with pads, tampons and cups but
it cannot be ignored.
The fertility
angel is watching over the earth. She floats above the
clouds and is normally out of view. Her fertility does
not depend on her performance.
This photo was taken
during the lunar eclipse, 28 August 2007, when the moon
glowed red. This is a rare event.
This
is a cheeky photo with a title that sounds like a
recipe. The Gingerbread is deliberately a woman to
challenge the male assumption (See ‘Women on a
Platter’). The sauce is cherry sauce because it looks
like it comes from her cherry. This biscuit is made from
real flour, sugar, butter etc and is edible.
In the process of cooking, she has changed slightly, just
like real women change through their life. Her skin has
cracks and stretch marks, her breasts have sagged and her
breasts are uneven in shape. Despite all these flaws, she
is still a sweet treat.
A group of
gingerbread women on a platter. I have deliberately made
women shaped biscuits. The default term is gingerbread
man. The male is used as the default, the standard, in
many things not just biscuits. This makes the male
experience seem to be the ‘right’ way to be and female
as being ‘other’. It also tends to ignore the female
experience and view of life.
Feminists from 1970s have started to address this issue and
used terms such as ‘chairperson’. There are words where the
feminine form has a very different meaning to the
masculine, such as ‘master’ and ‘mistress’. Master has the
meaning of skilled, competence and in charge. Mistress has
the meaning of a sexual dalliance kept by a married man.
Why is it that these terms cannot be easily exchanged? It
is because we treat men and women differently and expect
different behaviours from them.
These biscuits are more than an androgenous human shape
named as the default male. I have deliberately and
playfully made them specifically female and each one is an
individual. These biscuits are made from real flour, sugar,
butter etc and are edible.
When placed on a plate it gives the idea of women served on
a platter. Interestingly, the idea of ‘being served on a
platter’ does not come with ‘gingerbread men’!
When people create a snow figure, the
default often is a snowman. Here is a snow woman draped
in the red flow of life.
The phases of the moon cycle around
the woman. The crescent moon imitates the shadow under
the breasts.
A woman’s periods are often similar
duration to the lunar month. The phases of the moon
represent the phases of her fertility.
This is a
fun photo. The woman is thrilled to be awarded “Miss
Menstruation” and is waving to her adoring audience.
Menstruation is a celebration.
Miss
Menstruation has her gifts of red roses and a teddy with
a red heart. She is excited to have gifts as a
celebration of her menstruation.
Bloody Mary is a nick name for
menstruation and also a cocktail drink. She takes a
drink to sooth her cramps.
Menarche arrives unexpectedly. The
girl is surprised and unsure. She is on the way to
school where she will learn about many things.
Bullets are a nick name for tampons.
Both bullets and tampons penetrate the body and both are
in contact with blood. Both are symbols of power.
A jillaroo at
the cattle yards has undone her shirt because the
weather is hot. Sometimes women get tired more easily
when they menstruate. The hat has tampons instead of
corks to keep away the flies. Corks are a nick name for
tampons.
Jillaroo
having a break after working hard. These yards are
modern and efficient, Australian farming keeps up with
modern techniques. No matter how modern or efficient we
become, we still menstruate. The hat has tampons instead
of corks to keep away the flies. Corks are a nick name
for tampons.
Her sleaves are rolled up ready for
work. The hat has tampons instead of corks to keep away
the flies. Corks are a nick name for tampons.
A collection of slang and nick names
for menstruation and associated paraphernalia. Female
blood marks the beginning of major events in life – we
are born in blood, we begin adulthood in blood, we begin
our sex lives in blood, we begin parenting in blood. The
words we use express how we feel about these life
marking events.
The woman is wrapped as a gift, the
precious gift of fertility. Fertility is shown by a
model who is a mother with stretch marks telling the
story of childbirth. The bow is placed over the womb as
the centre piece and can be interpreted as a knot. Even
a healthy woman can feel a knot in her womb during her
period.
Women sometimes create spots when they
sit down. The rose petals represent drops of blood.
It may take many months to become
pregnant. No-one knows exactly when it will happen, it
is a chance event like a lottery. The big red ball
represents the red swollen womb of full term pregnancy
and also the big red ball of lotto. Only one in millions
of sperm creates the new life. New life is a happy
celebration.
Many women experience a sensation of
flow throughout their bodies when menstruating.
This body is immersed in the sensation
of flow.
She is covered by her red coat, yet
she feels a vulnerability because of her period.
This woman is
using red as a fashion statement. There is power in her
fertility.
Period pain can feel like burning
inside. This pain is for a beautiful purpose. Suffering
can inspire beauty.
‘Jam Rags’ is a slang term for
sanitary napkins. Jam goes on bread, bread and wine link
to symbols of body and blood and sacrifice.
The symbolism of red wine representing
blood. The blood becomes sacred when represented by the
wine. The glass is the feminine form.
