This picture shocked me because these women are supposed to represent beauty, but they look like they are near death. The first two women in the line especially seem emaciated. The framing of this photograph seems to be mid shot, the women's bodies are visible from their heads to their knees. This shot emphasizes the women's small waists and thighs more than another frame could. Although there is no obvious focal point to the picure; the women share almost equal space in the photograph, the woman in the red swimsuit stands out the most. This is because of her placement in the front of the line and because the bright red of her suit stands out against the light colors of the other women's suits. This woman is also the thinnest and most sickly looking of the four.
I think the photographer of this picture may have the same opinion of beauty pageants and "anorexia as beauty" as I do. The way the framing emphasizes the extremely thin figures of these women suggests that it is not attractive, but rather something that should worry intelligent women. There is something wrong with the image of beauty if these women are what is considered attractive; these women seem near death. Beauty pageants are ridiculous because of this extreme emphasis on being too thin and because of the attitude they perpetuate against women; that the most important aspect of women is their appearance.
Comments
I completely agree with the horribleness of the photograph. The women in the picture look like they need to be tied down and force-fed. One thing that I don’t agree with is although the picture disturbs you and me and probably many others, to some this is appealing and most likely was taken for that reason.
Posted by: Amanda Amundson | September 18, 2006 10:05 AM