DEM art&design: Viewpoint

Viewpoint ideas so far

women - modern women vs older women
modern women being regarded as high maintenance, selfish, spoiled, greedy, independent
traditional women being thought of as respectful, loving, mothering, tough, real
the industrial revolution - mid 19th century - war - telephone - typewriter - factories
birth control - margaret sanger - population - abortion - death rates - sanitary conditions

So from looking at the topics and thinking what would interest 18 -34 year olds I began to explore some fashion magazines like Elle, Vogue, I.D.

I copied and cut up some images and soon found that my intention was to highlight women in a male workplace/industry. Being qualified in the construction industry myself I felt that I had a better understanding for this topic. But also to educate myself of the past feminist following, regarding this subject. Womens rights and the fight for equal rights has played and still does play a massive part in the world we live in today.

Women I intend to look at!

Betty Friedan

Feminist, activist and author of six books the most famous being The Feminine Mystique.

In 1966, Friedan co-founder and was elected the first president of the national organisation for women (now) which was aimed to bring women into the mainstream of American society

Now lobbied for the civil right act of equal pay in 1963

Gloria Steinem

Gloria Marie Steinem (born March 25, 1934) is an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist, who became nationally recognised as a leader and a spokeswoman for the feminist movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s

Having read about her early career as a columnist for New York magazine, then a co-founder of Ms. magazine Gloria said while she didn't start out as a feminist the route for women in the work place wasn't an easy one and this naturally began to stir interest. So much so she still currently travels internationally as an organiser and lecturer, and is a media spokeswoman on issues of equality.

Gloria's said her first "serious assignment", regarding contraception was for Esquire magazine. This article about the way in which women are forced to choose between a career and marriage preceded Betty Friedan's book The Feminine Mystique by one year.

In 1963, she was employed as a playboy bunny and later documented how women were treated at those clubs. After this her career went quiet as many did she her as a bunny and for whatever the reason behind it this affect future work.

Abortion - in 1969 she covered an abortion speak-out for New York Magazine, which was held in a church basement in Greenwich, New York. Steinem had had an abortion herself in London at the age of 22. She described this was the turning point in realising women could take control of they own life and the feminist in her clicked because of this.

She has wrote and covered many topic regarding womens rights and over many subjects. ( After Black Power, Women's Liberation, The International Crime of Female Genital Mutilation,, Presidential Campaigns and Elections)

And so upon reading about these two women I have found so much information and many topics of interest. For me, I feel its best to stick to what I know from my own experience regarding my brief. Women in the construction industry!

Gender diversity in the construction industry is shockingly poor. Women make up just 11% of the entire workforce, but even this figure includes many who work behind a desk, often in design, management or secretarial roles. On building sites themselves, it is estimated that 99% of workers are men.19 May 2015

I feel I'd like to mock the industry and the way many men feel towards women working along side them. For me, working with men wasn't an issue. But if I did do something better than them or to a higher standard, you felt the blow to they ego. To combat this sometimes I would let them feel that I needed them/help.... also to help myself at times too. A big 3 piece ladder can be heavy lifting and while I'd be happy to struggle on, if I let the man do it for me and I was saying my please and thank you's. It made them feel important or the higher dominant one. I would of never said or humiliated them. but if it got the job done with everyone happy and safe then no harm done. Right? Some could now argue that ..!!

I do like the D&G photo shoot images and do think that something similar could work well. I don't really like the comic book style, but all of these ideas are just that at the moment and I intent to explore many different approaches regarding this.

I felt kinda bad enjoying these posters. Images of the very fine male pin up here.....I'll maybe enlarge them.... one minute

Hell I found my calling.... I wanna photograph for D&G

I do feel a surrealism style here and I think I've seen this similar work before?

It's maybe just the clouds in the background!

I do feel I'm onto something here and I'm getting excited at finding out more.. I think I will probably be questioning my very own morals with this topic.... what again :) !!