Themed misogyny – America’s Next Top Model. Simulations of murdered women suggesting that even dead women can look sexy.
Please look at the ten photographs within the link. It seems, as though not only are the models dead but they also appear to have met a violent end. Glorified and eroticised victimisation of women – whatever next?
The last photo-some guy criticized her for actually looking dead. She was supposed to have a “spark” even when dead. So women aren’t let off the hook after we’re murdered-we’d better make sexy corpses. Hmm, who would that serve?
I know that tv is shit, but this is appalling.
“These are broken-down dolls. These are busted up, broken-down dolls, marionettes.”
Not only can we aspire to being dolls for the boys in life, we’re also their marionettes when we die.
Man, I’d like to go into death with the idea that I could be a fetishized ‘broken-down doll’
I wonder who broke this ‘doll’ (Who is clearly an object, and not a person.) I wonder why a woman who has been brutalized with a violent murder can have her personhood taken away from her. I wonder why there’s no mention of her killer. Why there’s no blame to her killer.
Why a dead, beaten, and brutalized woman is attractive.
It’s all so wrong!
Claims will be made this is just ‘freedom of expression.’ But we must not forget all these images are of women. I see no such images of men being strung up or having simulated blood on their clothing. So, the question to be asked is why not? There are male models too. Where are the images of pseudo dead male models? If as is claimed this is ‘fashion.’ The reason is because men would protest and claim such images are degrading and they would be right. So, why is it acceptable for male violence against women to be eroticised and made ‘normal?’ Because it is men who taking these photographs and it is men who believe it is now acceptable and safe to come out of the closet and show just how much they hate women just because women are not male but female.
Remember the term life mirrors art – well it certainly does in these photos because far too many women are being raped and murdered by men.
They are twittering on about ‘positioning’ and ‘translates amazingly well on film’ Um no – they look like violated dead – yes you know D-E-A-D women. I wish these guys would recognise their own script and stop exploiting every medium on the planet to tout their misogyny. Honestly, it gets tedious!
This is just sick. My mind’s mouth is reeling off expletives right now but I will be civil – how on earth can they actually SHOW stuff like this on television?? It’s not even as if they are on some acting-based reality tv contest where being a ‘convincing corpse’ might actually come into the job role (even that’s a huge stretch though), they’re competing to be the next rich, skinny, ill-advised role model for American teenage girls – what an image to work with! *how embarrassing would it be if you diiied and you didn’t even LOOK good, gaaaaawd* *better make sure you wear your best matching lingerie everyday just in case you inadvertently get decapitated – don’t want to distract the pathologists with garish old singles*
It’s one small step away from violent and necrophilic pornography if you ask me. Oh normalised sexual violence in the media…? Never!
This was the part that really pushed me over the edge: I decided to look at Tyra Banks’ website (http://www.tyrabanks.com/) where she has information about her production company, the group who produces ANTM.
Their mission statement reads: “We are currently developing material with an eye toward female driven characters with a sense of empowerment. This empowerment will come from a journey that embodies a whimsical yet sophisticated sensibility, blurring racial and social stereotypes and storylines.”
I wrote a letter of complaint to the production company, to Tyra’s fan mail address, and to the network that ANTM airs on, The CW. I posted the letter on my own blog and I encourage people to send their own. You’re welcome to use mine or some derivation thereof.
That “dead sexy” look girls – it’s so HOT now – bit of blood here, a bruise there, and then not just dead, but murdered. I was so stunned I could not say anything at first.
Some of the comments by the “judges” (twiggy?? wtf is she thinking?) – they are horrendous. The women are colluding with men in the approval of this crap. I will tackle the comments later – cannot do it right now.
Thinking of that old song – “art for art’s sake, money for god’s sake” – don’t know why – just came into my head – this aint just about money, it’s about endorsing violence and oppression against women disguised as “art” yet again. “Oh, she doesn’t look dead enough” —- “oh, I know, let’s go out and do it for real so they have that authentic dead look” — oh, but they have to also be wearing lingerie. Speechless.
Hi gingermiss, I’ve seen you around, on Hearts I think. Thanks for the information and your letter offer and yes, I will write.
What happened to the mission statement? It couldn’t have been further from the assignment if they had tried!
Misogyny is so entrenched and normalised within our culture that some people either genuinely do not see it or they don’t care anymore.
The ulitimate conclusion of misogyny is either femicide and/or necrophilia, so really, is it any surprise that (yet another*) fashion shoot such as this surfaces?
*Remember the Vogue Italia shoot about November last year, lots of simulated rape, power dynamics, femicide — all in the name of ‘fashion’. Yeah, ‘dead sexy’. Now we all know what that term means. I think Twisty may have blogged the Vogue Italia shoot (and I did find stills at the time), but couldn’t locate it via the search on her blog.
Remember too, from the Speakout against male violence blog:
Women are never safe from rape.
Jenn is so correct as always, there are plenty of male models about, why don’t we have pictures of them looking ‘dead sexy’? Oh that’s right, the sexualisation/objectification of males does not include the fetishisation of death.
This fashion shoot is not art, is not fashion. It is misogyny being churned out for the mainstream. It is also ‘fashion imitating porn’, as even ’softcore’ porn (although, not even legally recognised as porn, Lads’ Mags — “just a bit of harmless fun”) have similar images.
I have just put together a collection of similar images from LMs
The LM activism page — the PDF of LM images (this is a massive file, and will take quite a long time to load, make a cup of tea and come back to it!).
*WARNING — it contains pornographic images, although do remember that these are from Lads’ Mags, that are not legally classified as pornography, and have no age restriction on their sale*
10 Downing Street seems to have no problem allowing this industry to self-regulate the sale and display of misogyny. It’s kind of like they don’t even see a connection between the LM images, these so-called fashion images above, and the rampant domestic violence, rape and murder of females. FFFS.
Thanks stormy – I had forgotten about the necrophilia case. In addition, I also see how the LM s PDF also links into this genre of passive, submissive and pseudo necrophilia category. Do men hate us so much that sexualised pictures of us dead entertain them – in the arousal stakes? Remember this is main stream “arty” stuff hardly meant for um specialist audiences.
Daisy – I also cannot get over some of the comments.
I guess I could have succinctly said; misogyny (and femicide) is mainstream, and the continuum from fashion to porn is seamless.
In again viewing the series of 10 ‘fashion’ shots, a number of them (if not MOST) were so triggering for survivors of domestic violence. It is outrageous that these pictures (and I take it, the photo shoot process) were shown on a television programme.
The ‘buzz’ for necrophilia is ‘the ultimate in power and control’, and the extreme version of rape. The victim has no will of her own, no (sexual) demands, and it is totally about HIS pleasure.
And this from page 5 (pushed off a rooftop) –
“Miss J: I love that she has eye contact with her eyes.
Tyra: She had a personality today. I was happy to see Jaslene come in with a little oomph today.
Nigel: It’s a great shot. Death becomes you, young lady. (later) Jaslene has taken great shot after great shot”
So…..She has eye contact with her eyes – yes errrrr…that would be right, not her ears dear.
She has a personality and oomph. but she has to show this by being dead?
The comments are just as bad as the pictures, if not worse.
Hi Rachel – and welcome, the comments sort of rounded it all off for me into some surreal nether world – and thanks for the links.
[...] Even dead women can look sexy [...]
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