In this weeks lecture we discussed chapter 5 from the textbook. One of the major topics from this week that we talked about was Afghan girl and the affects that the image had on the world. This image fell into so many categories that we talked about in class and I was very intrigued to keep learning more. Afghan girl is a famous image by journalist Steve McCurry and was first published in Nat Geographic. We talked about how this image portrayed how “suffering is aestheticized” and was used for functions like stock photography, police lineup, identity cards, etc. We then discussed the 3 feminist takes on Sherman which were objectification and the male gaze under patriarchy, parody of female stereotypes in Hollywood films, and the male gaze both reinforced and destabilized. These all focus on “interaction between the male gaze” and masquerade (p.80). There are two aspects of female spectator ship that we discussed which were Sherman as a spectator of films and spectators who view Sherman’s work. Looking back in this weeks lecture, I am amazed at the impact the image of Afghan girl left on the world and how it continues to be shared and taught about all over!
*image from google











