Spring Break
Harmful male stereotypes
Ben Lyon
Issue date: 3/4/09 Section: Opinion
Photographer Frank Cordelle begins every lecture by preempting two questions: "Do you ever get a boner when photographing nude women?" No. "Are you gay?" No. Although Frank asks these questions to show that nothing is out of line, they simultaneously highlight two all-too-pervasive stereotypes: 1) men cannot differentiate between nudity and sexuality, and 2) if they can, they must be gay. Both stereotypes need to be shut down.
First, what is the difference between nudity and sexuality? To Frank, "nude is a four letter word" that has been shackled by sexuality and needs to be reclaimed, redefined, and turned into a tool for empowerment. Nudity is, after all, our most fundamental form - the truth behind our cultural burkahs of cloth and flashy distraction. It is the very vessel of our being. By showing "real women in real bodies," instead of the painful caricatures that dominate the public eye, Frank attempts to show that we should never be ashamed of who we are.
Even though I say "we," however, the point above applies disproportionately to women. Open any magazine and you'll see just how true this is: 'beautiful' women are either tall and anorexic, or thin and shaped like an hourglass. Men get a freebie. Does anything in The Simpsons or Family Guy strike you as odd, for example? What about the fact that Homer and Peter are average while Marge and Louis are thin and classically attractive?
Even though it might seem like an innocent juxtaposition, the fact of the matter is that even cartoons project a 'standard' to which many women feel compelled to adhere. Every day we let this ridiculous 'standard' endure, we directly harm the women we love by telling them they are 'imperfect.' Simply, our notions of sexuality must be severed from our understanding of being and humanness. We are all perfectly human.
Second, why does a man have to be gay to humanize a woman? Why is our sexuality challenged when we express sensitivity and ask how our actions make other people feel? Personally, I think it's absurd, born either from male insecurity or simple ignorance. Either way, we cannot let this notion continue. As long as 'manliness' is synonymous with misogyny, women will continue to be crushed under a societal wheel of denial and self-loathing. No real man should find that acceptable.
Ultimately, Frank uses The Century Project to show us that the truth is a tautology: to be human is to be human. Regardless of how prevailing norms have taught us to see the world, we are all worthy of this life and no one is 'imperfect.' Everyone is beautiful in their own way and embracing that beauty is perhaps the greatest pillar of happiness.
First, what is the difference between nudity and sexuality? To Frank, "nude is a four letter word" that has been shackled by sexuality and needs to be reclaimed, redefined, and turned into a tool for empowerment. Nudity is, after all, our most fundamental form - the truth behind our cultural burkahs of cloth and flashy distraction. It is the very vessel of our being. By showing "real women in real bodies," instead of the painful caricatures that dominate the public eye, Frank attempts to show that we should never be ashamed of who we are.
Even though I say "we," however, the point above applies disproportionately to women. Open any magazine and you'll see just how true this is: 'beautiful' women are either tall and anorexic, or thin and shaped like an hourglass. Men get a freebie. Does anything in The Simpsons or Family Guy strike you as odd, for example? What about the fact that Homer and Peter are average while Marge and Louis are thin and classically attractive?
Even though it might seem like an innocent juxtaposition, the fact of the matter is that even cartoons project a 'standard' to which many women feel compelled to adhere. Every day we let this ridiculous 'standard' endure, we directly harm the women we love by telling them they are 'imperfect.' Simply, our notions of sexuality must be severed from our understanding of being and humanness. We are all perfectly human.
Second, why does a man have to be gay to humanize a woman? Why is our sexuality challenged when we express sensitivity and ask how our actions make other people feel? Personally, I think it's absurd, born either from male insecurity or simple ignorance. Either way, we cannot let this notion continue. As long as 'manliness' is synonymous with misogyny, women will continue to be crushed under a societal wheel of denial and self-loathing. No real man should find that acceptable.
Ultimately, Frank uses The Century Project to show us that the truth is a tautology: to be human is to be human. Regardless of how prevailing norms have taught us to see the world, we are all worthy of this life and no one is 'imperfect.' Everyone is beautiful in their own way and embracing that beauty is perhaps the greatest pillar of happiness.
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