Have you ever thought about what future civilizations (or alien invaders) will think of us when they inevitably discover the remnants of our society? Yeah me neither. But while we’re on the topic, I think most of us would agree that if our new alien overlords happen to flip through the pages of today’s glossy fashion magazines, they may very well paint a picture of us that is a lot skinnier, a little whiter, and a lot more pore-less than most of us actually are. And if that wasn’t bad enough, thanks to Spanish photographer Yolanda Dominguez‘s series Poses, I’ve been reminded that the people of the future may also think us early 21st century ladies are rather bat-sh*t crazy as well.
Poses depicts real women in real-life situations imitating some of the contortionist poses found in fashion magazine editorials, and both hilarity and discomfort ensues. The series is a direct criticism of the objectification of women in advertisements as well as commentary on the fact that highly-distorted images of women fail to represent those who don’t fit within a restricted physical mold. While some of these odd poses don’t seem harmful in and of themselves, because fashion and advertisements ultimately make up such a large part of feminine representation in the mass media, they can be extremely influential on the thoughts and behaviors of both men and women.
As Yolanda said in an interview with Le Projet d’Amour, “…photographers and fashion editorials throw women on the floor, put them into ridiculous positions; submissive, dead, diseased … I do not identify with these women and almost no woman does identify with them. However, all strive to be like them because we have no other reference. This leads to many disorders and diseases. It seems that women cannot have a wrinkle, or cannot weigh more than 50 kilos, or cannot be older than 25 years. That is not healthy or sane. The men never go out in these poses and situations.”
So whether you’re chugging the Kool-Aid or you just find these photos entertaining, I definitely think the series is worth a look and some consideration…
Images and Video Source www.yolandadominguez.com
