How Photographic Depictions of Children have Changed

How Photographic Depictions of Children have Changed Jade Leslie With reference to the work of Higonnet and Holland, show how photographic depictions of children have changed over the last century. What are the strengths of photography as a medium for capturing the essence of childhood? Intro Photographic images provide us with a snapshot of the past and present, they hold past moment’s static for us to view even though they no longer exist. They provide us with visions of places and people we may never meet and fantasies, they are powerful for their seeming reality. Photography offers both reality and illusion. Photographs brings visual delight â€Å"†¦about the dream of childhood and its persistent nightmare† (Holland, 1992: 8). According to Higonnet (1998; 7) â€Å"pictures of children are†¦. the most sacred and the most controversial images of our time†. While they protect the ideal of childhood innocence images can also potential damage this ideal. Imagery is a vital part of social meaning they continuously provide viewers to new versions on subjects such as childhood (Holland, 2004). In this essay I will look at how imagery of children have changed in the last century, focusing on the debates of how innocence and sexuality and the changes and sim Image 1 Millais Cherry Ripe (1879) Julia Margaret Cameron Image 2 ‘I wait’ (1872) http://media.kunst-fuer-alle.de/img/36/g/36_67418~_sir-john-everett-millais_cherry-ripe,-1879.jpg http://thevictorianist.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/julia-margaret-cameron.html All visual images of childhood innocence was invented and refined by paintings and illustrations from the 18th century to the early 20th century (Higonnet, 1998; 78). They were then transferred into photography. Paintings and illustrations of children allow us to really see perfect innocence, however photographs does this more convincingly (Higonnet, 1998; 86). The notion of the romantic childhood spread into popular painting such as Image 1 by Sir Everett Millais which has since been reprinted and used in advertisements of soap, during the time of production this was associated with cleanliness and purity (Holland, 2004). I included this image as I feel it is important to see how elements of earlier paintings are used in contemporary images of children. In Cherry Ripe the young girl is dressed in typical romantic children’s clothing which has been related to innocence (Higonnet, 1998; 51). All romantic children wear costumes and have connections with nature just like we see i n Cherry Ripe where the painting is set outdoors surrounding by nature and fruit. Julia Margaret Cameron ‘I wait’ displays angelic innocence depicted in early photography. Childhood innocence was viewed as sacred, pure and children are dressed in costumes of angels or cherubs to visualise this notion. Anne Geddes Image 3Image 4Image 5 http://villagewitchblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/68079-anne-geddes-baby-wallpapers-prints-desktop-wallpaper.jpg http://www.angusrobertson.com.au/calendar/betsy-cameron-angels/13600025/ We see a continuation of these themes in photographs by Anne Geddes. Her images represent a modern take of today’s idea of childhood innocence (image 3, 4 and 5). These images are what we commonly see on calendars and greeting cards. In these images the children are dressed in costumes, wearing angel wings, dressed in white and have connections with nature. They represent childhood as being pure, vulnerable, close to nature and precious to be nurtured and loved. Just as we see in images 1 and 2 they represent the idyllic childhood and unspoiled innocence. According to Higonnet (1998; 78) â€Å"†¦Geddes make children’s bodies unreal and belong to an unreal world†. Digital photography and new technology has allowed this and images now have no limitations. The children in Geddes images have a magical feel the children seem unreal without making them enticing or available. Higonnet (1998; 78) states that successful commercial images like this make the children s eem there and yet not there. Geddes photographs draw on childhood innocence just as earlier depictions of childhood by Julia Margaret Cameron (image 2) and paintings by Millais’s Cherry Ripe (1879 image 1) as they have similar themes in representing children as sacred in white clothing or dressed as angels and having connections with nature. Many of today’s commercial photographs of children have the same characteristics of those from the 19th century where children are dressed up or are angels, cherubs, fairies and miniature adults They remain similar with their â€Å"†¦romantic precedents†, centred on making children’s bodies look innocent (Higonnet, 1998; 76). They all conform to visual expectations of childhood. â€Å"They show us what we want childhood to be† (Higonnet, 1998; 86), if images go against this idealised romantic notion of children being fragile, innocence and pure it causes discomfort to viewer’s convention of childhood and causes controversy. The early 19th century photographs of cherub and angelic children continues to carry a powerful visual reference as the quintessence of childhood (Holland, 2004; 9). During the late 1980’s Sally Mann began to challenge the earlier ideas of the romantic childhood. Mann used her own children to represent her version of childhood. She captured their most vulnerable and natural moments, many of these photos contained them in the nude or semi-nude. Mann’s pictures displayed childhood in a natural form not the idealised versions from early images. Image 6 â€Å"Candy Cigarette† Sally Mann (1989)Image 7 â€Å"Jessie at five† Sally Mann (1987) http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/art-or-abuse-a-lament-for-lost-innocence-2078397.html http://lamblegs.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/sally-manns-immediate-family/ Image 6 and 7 captures how the children innocently play using simple props such as jewellery and candy cigarettes. On first glance this appears to be innocent however, they can also be a threat to the children in the form of potential sexuality. In image 6 Mann’s daughter balances a candy cigarette in her hand and resembles how an adult would hold it. Her facial expression, posture and the way her hair is parted on the side makes her look older than her years. The background of the photo is dark making Jessie stand out drawing you to focus directly at her. This picture has caused controversy due to the children mimicking adults and smoking. Children do mimic adults in their play. She is not smoking a real cigarette she is pretending. I feel this image displays how children are losing their innocence why also being innocent young girls enjoy trying out adult roles in their play scenarios (Holland, 2004) and are influenced by what they see in their daily lives. This image reflect the reality of how society affects children, they are copying actions what they see through media and their daily lives and are applying it to their play. In image 7 Jessie at five the central girl snakes outwards highlighting her naked torso, her pose has a sexual tone, she lures at the viewer, her shoulders are placed in an inviting way to show off her bare chest as if she is inviting you to go to her. She wears a pearl necklace, is made up with lipstick this makes her look like she is in her teens, or modelling for a fashion magazine. This conveys â€Å"†¦ conflicting messages of childhood innocence and adult sexuality† (Higonnet, 1998; 195), if you were unable to see her pre-pubescent body people could be easily confused to thinking she was older. Due to the posture and lack of clothing of Jessie, it suggests it could be sexually intended rather than children simply playing dress up. Jessie contrasts the two other girls pictured dressed in traditional clothing of childhood innocence. I feel that Mann’s work displays more realistic images of childhood than earlier images, children are not always angels and pure as suggest in the 19th century. Children enjoy experimenting playing adult roles and these images capture children doing precisely this. Mann’s work remains a subject of controversy due to the nude and provocative images of her children which aroused great critical debate as it challenged the romanticised essence of childhood (Scally, 2012). It has also been suggested that Mann is sexualising her own children putting them at risk of sexual exploitation. According to Zurbriggen et al (2003) Mann’s images make young children vulnerable. Savage (2011; 109) argues that Mann’s images has â€Å"†¦the ability to unnerve, to represent without apology, and to suggest the sensuality on childhood play and, perhaps inadvertently shatter the myth of innocence†. Supporter of Mann’s work argue that any sexual thoughts that arise from these images are a â€Å"†¦result of less-than-innocent readings† (Savage, 2011; 107). Mann has defended herself, stating that her work is natural through the eyes of a mother, since she has seen her children in every state: happy, sad, playful, sick, bloodied, angry and even naked. (Independent, 2010). According to Higonnet (1998; 203) Mann’s pictures upset cherished conventions of idyllic childhood. These images do not conform to the idealistic view of childhood they create discomfort as the go against social norms and unsettle traditional representations of childhood (Miller, 2005). In my opinion these two images. Something about child abuse. During the 1980’s childhood was under attack and was being pushed into adulthood by the mass media (Elkind, 1981; Postman, 1982). Many academics note that this was a time when childhood as we once knew it was lost. Postman (1983) argues that television and the use of children in advertising of clothing and adult products has influenced the disappearance of childhood as there has been a tendency to advertise children wearing clothing which resemble adult fashion, this is seen in image ? and ? Reference in hendrick chapter 2. Young girls have been increasing targeted by advertisements and it has been suggested it encouraged young girls to grow up too quickly and become sexually promiscuous (Linn, 2004; Schol, 2004). Boulton (2007) states that advertisements depict the child model as a ‘nascent adult’ Images ? and ? display the current culture of childhood depictions which have become increasing more sexualised. Popular images of little girls as alluring and seductive at once innocent and highly erotic are contained in the most respectable and mundane of locations, broadsheets, women’s magazines and television adverts. http://innewyorkparistomorrow.blogspot.co.uk/2011_01_01_archive.html http://live.drjays.com/index.php/2011/01/06/has-french-vogue-taken-child-models-too-far/ Images ? is from a French edition of Vogue magazine. The young model is photographed high heels, lots of jewellery and heavy makeup. She is placed upon leopard skin. She is dressed in adults clothes her pose is confident and serious she is not smiling. According to Boulton (2007) this is a sign of dominance, when children mimic this powerful look they convey a sense of adult-like self- awareness often associated with precocious sexuality. The most worrying part of this image in the title â€Å"Cadeaux† which is the French word for gifts, suggesting the model is a gift. Images like this with suggestive words have dangerous potential to exploit childhood by introducing adult sexuality into childhood innocence (Walkerdine, 1996; 326). What is seen as a fantasy for a young girl playing dress up can easily been transformed into a different fantasy for predatory adult men (Holland, 2004; 188). Children are increasingly subjected to social and economic forces that exploit them throug h the dynamics of sexualisation, commodification and commercialisation (Giroux, 2000; 44). Their innocence can often mask the sexualisation. The image of childhood innocence is now in jeopardy not just because it is being violated but because it was seriously flawed all along. The ideal of the child as object of adoration has turned too easily into the concept of the child as object and then into the marketing of the child as commodity (Direct quote, Hig, pg 194). Innocence feeds into enticing images of childlike purity as it simultaneously sexualises and markets such images (g, 60). Conclusion The image of childhood which was created in the 18th century has changed and has been replaced with new ideas and ways to picture childhood (Higonnet, 1998). Photographs have the ability to provide visual realism to a The notion of the disappearing child and the myth of childhood innocence often mirror and support each other. Within the myth of innocence children are often portrayed as inhabiting a world that is untainted, magical and utterly protected from the harshness of adult life (Giroux, 2000; 39). Innocence in this instance makes children invisible except as projections of adult fantasies (40). Bib Holland, P (1992) What is a Child? Popular Images of Childhood, London: Virago Press Miller, Andrea. Portrait of Family Values: Transgressions and Controversy in the Work of Sally Mann. Scally, P. (2012). In Context. Ethics and Visual Representation http://fir.ferris.edu:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/2323/2498/Phil_Scally_Ethics_2012.pdf?sequence=1 (accessed 15/04/14) Art or abuse?: A lament for lost innocence http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/art-or-abuse-a-lament-for-lost-innocence-2078397.html Tuesday 14 September 2010

My Examination as a Writer Essay -- Essays Papers

My Examination as a Writer The process of examining me as a writer is not easy. Writing, for me, has never been an easy task. Many times I sat for hours contemplating my blank piece of paper just trying to figure out how to begin to write the creative writing assignment due in a few days for my high school English class. I knew that learning to write well took patience and practice, much like learning any other skill. I remember the long hard hours I spent developing my skills as a skateboarder. I knew that I had to find the same attitude to develop my writing skills. I knew also that I wanted to continue my education and pursue a law degree. Definitely my writing skills had to be developed. This September I found myself no longer as a high school student. I am now a college freshman in the University of Dayton. As a high school student in Puerto Rico, I competed with other Puerto Rican students who also had English as a second language. Now I panicked because I am submerged in a totally English-speaking environment. I was not sure that my ideas could su...

Carrier Planning Report for Mba Student

CAREER PLANNING ASSIGNMENT DEEPENDRA SINGH A30101911072 Sec- B, Sem-IV A Career has been defined as the sequence of a person's experiences on different jobs over  the period of time. It is viewed as fundamentally a relationship between one or more organizations and the individual. A career is a sequence of positions/jobs held by a person during the course of his workinglife. Many of today's employees have high expectations about their jobs. There has been a generalincrease in the concern of the quality of life.Workers expect more from their jobs than justincome. A further impetus to career planning is the need for organizations to make the best  possible use of their most valuable resources the people in a time of rapid technologicalgrowth and change. Career planning as a concern is of recent origin. The reason for thislack of concern regarding career planning for a long time has been the careless,unrealistic assumption about employees functioning smoothly along the right lines a nd the  belief that the employees guide themselves in their careers.Modern personnel administration has to be futuristic, it has to look beyond the present tasks,since neither the requirements of the organization nor the attitudes and abilities of employeesare constant. It is too costly to leave career to the tyranny of time and casualty of  circumstances, for it is something which requires to be handled carefully through systematization and professional promoting. Fortunately, there has lately been someappreciation of the value of career planning and acceptance of validity of career development as a major input in organizational development.Career Planning aims at identifying personal skills, interest, knowledge and other features;and establishes specific plans to attain specific goals. Aims and Objectives of Career Planning Career Planning aims at matching individual potential for promotion and individualaspirations with organizational needs and opportunities. Career Planning is making sure thatthe organization has the right people with the right skills at the right time. In particular itindicates what training and development would be necessary for advancing in the career  altering the career path or staying in the current position.Its focus is on future needs andopportunities and removal of stagnation, obsolescence & dissatisfaction of the employee. OBJECTIVE OF CAREER PLANNING †¢To attract and retain the right type of person in the organization. †¢To map out career of employees suitable to their ability and their willingness to betrained and developed for higher positions. †¢To have a more stable workforce by reducing labour turnover and absenteeism. †¢It contributes to man power planning as well as organizational development andeffectiveachievement of corporate goals. To increasingly utilize the managerial talent available at all levels within theorganization. †¢It helps employee in thinking of long term involvement with th e organization. †¢To provide guidance and encourage employees to fulfill their potentials. †¢To achieve higher productivity and organizational development. †¢To ensure better use of human resource through more satisfied and productiveemployees. †¢To meet the immediate and future human resource needs of the organization on thetimely basis. NEED FOR CAREER PLANNING †¢Desire to grow and scale new heights. Realize and achieve the goals. †¢Performance measure. †¢High employee turnover. †¢To educate the employees †¢It motivates employees to grow. †¢It motivates employees to avail training and development. †¢It increases employee loyalty as they feel organization care’s about them. ADVANTAGES OF CAREER PLANNING In fact both individuals and the organization are going to benefit from career planning anddevelopment. #For Individuals 1. The process of career planning helps the individual to have the knowledge of variouscareer opport unities, his priorities etc. . This knowledge helps him select the career that is suitable to his life styles, preferences,family environment, scope for self-development etc. 3. It helps the organization identify internal employees who can be promoted. 4. Internal promotions, up gradation and transfers motivate the employees, boost uptheir morale and also result in increased job satisfaction. 5. Increased job satisfaction enhances employee commitment and creates a senseof belongingness and loyalty to the organization. . Employee will await his turn of promotion rather than changing to another organization. This will lower employee turnover. 7. It improves employee’s performance on the job by taping their potential abilities andfurther employee turnover. 8. It satisfies employee esteem needs. #For Organizations A long-term focus of career planning and development will increase the effectiveness of  human resource management. The advantages of career planning anddevelopment f or an organization include: 1.Efficient career planning and development ensures the availability of human resourceswith required skill, knowledge and talent. 2. The efficient policies and practices improve the organization’s ability to attract and retainhighly skilled and talent employees. 3. The proper career planning ensures that the women and people belong to backwardcommunities get opportunities for growth and development. 4. The career plan continuously tries to satisfy the employee expectations and as suchminimizes employee frustration. 5.By attracting and retaining the people from different cultures, enhances cultural diversity. 6. Protecting employee’s interest results in promoting organizational goodwill. CAREER PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS 1. Identifying individual needs and aspirations: It’s necessary to identify and communicate the career goals, aspiration and career anchors of  every employee because most individuals may not have a clear idea about these. For this  purpose, a human resource inventory of the organization and employee potential areasconcerned. 2. Analyzing career opportunities:The organizational set up, future plans and career system of the employees are analyzed toidentify the career opportunities available within it. Career paths can be determined for each  position. It can also necessary to analyze career demands in terms of knowledge, skill,experience, aptitude etc. 3. Identifying match and mismatch: A mechanism to identifying congruence between individual current aspirations andorganizational career system is developed to identify and compare specific areas of matchand mismatch for different categories of employees. 4.Formulating and implementing strategies: Alternative action plans and strategies for dealing with the match and mismatch areformulated and implemented. 5. Reviewing career plans: A periodic review of the career plan is necessary to know whether the plan is contributing toeffective ut ilization of human resources by matching employee objectives to job needs. Review will also indicate to employees in which direction the organization is moving, whatchanges are likely to take place and what skills are needed to adapt to the changing needs of  the organization.

Borders Are One Of The Most Pervasive Topics In Contemporary

Borders are one of the most pervasive topics in contemporary politics, and whether people are aware of it or not, borderlands history has greatly influenced the perceptions and attitudes that are held towards borders today. Rhetoric today is focused on keeping immigrants out, winning the war on drugs, and bringing the United States back to its original glory (which in fact, was not glorious, but rather put white men on a pedestal). Borderlands history reminds us that immigrants are going to cross the border, regardless of the challenges put in front of them by United States laws or border patrol. This has been exemplified throughout history by many different groups of people, such at the Mà ©tis, Comanche, slaves, and Chinese laborers. The†¦show more content†¦Additionally, Adelman and Aron argue that borders brought about â€Å"exclusivist† feelings, further separating â€Å"us† from the â€Å"other.† European colonialists, along with bringing disease, devastation, and an attitude of entitlement, were among the first to bring fixed, geographical borders to the United States. The myth that is prevalent within United States History states that the European settlers came to the United States and conquered the wild land that was inhabited by savages. The Europeans went on to tame the land, impose borders on it, and ultimately civilize it. However, Barr notes that â€Å"North America was a political and economic landscape already mapped and surveyed,† even though this was in a different manner than Europeans were used to. The Comanche, and other indigenous groups, continued to regard the borders they had always used, until they were no longer able to do so due to European implementation of fixed borders. 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