In continuation to my "What The Fuck" post yesterday, I am dedicating today's post to women who choose/chose to keep their hair. Somebody wrote a rude comment about a model I photographed that did not shave her armpits or pubic hair. Here are some more photos I am sure commentor will not like, but I find are beautiful.
Unbearable Lightness mentioned a very famous photo of Tina Modotti in her comment. Heer is Tina photographed by Edward Weston. Tina was also a great photographer as well as writer, model, actress, activist and role model. She was also very beautiful. Edward Weston took a number of photos of his wife Charis. This very famous photo has some interesting history because her pubic hair. After the photo below was released, Edward and sons Cole and Brett were nervous about sending prints due to laws concerning obscenity sent through the mail. They took out a magnifying glass and had to see if any pubic hair was showing and if so how much due to the laws. If you look closely, she also has hair on her legs. I am glad Weston captured her beauty in this photo.
So, I tip my hat to everyone who controls their bodies and how they choose to celebrate their beauty. If you are happy shaved, hairy (armpits, pubic, head, anywhere), tattooed, pierced, or any other form of free choice, I support you... and I would really like to photograph you to show how uniquely beautiful YOU are, not what the popular culture thinks is beautiful. Here is a blog entry about the resurgence of pubic hair due to the economic downturn. http://www.radicalleft.net/blog/_archives/2008/12/14/4017691.html
British art critic John Berger wrote about the de-nuding of women throughout the centuries in "Ways of Seeing" (197-). According to Berger, hair was always regarded as a signifier of male power, thus the movement in art to decree removal of it from women's bodies. Think about the big beards and great wigs men wore over the centuries as signs of their power. Think about the fact men still are not required to shave their underarms or legs or arms, at least not until the metrosexual revolution. Why is it gross to see hair on a woman but not on a man???
ReplyDeleteThink about how upset the establishment became, after short hair on men was the vogue, when the hippies of the 1970s grew "Hair." There's a whole musical written about it.
Hair signifies power. Weston's women had "it," power, and he wasn't at all threatened by it!
Great post!
You inspired this
ReplyDeletehttp://drlightness.blogspot.com/2009/02/hair.html
LOVE IT ALL!
ReplyDelete