Ok, don't laugh or critizise just read.
Media Autobiography
Pete Madison
In this day and age information is everywhere. Therefore the media is
everywhere. When the media is everywhere that means that we can never
escape its messages. Every day of our lives we are shown the media's
messages over and over. Without even being aware of it we are
influenced by these messages.
We always hear about women struggling with being told how to look and
how to dress. The less common message is that men suffer the same
problems. From a male point of view the media puts the same pressure
on us to look a certain way as they do with women. There may be less
volume but the message is still the same, look like this, dress like
that. Every once and a while a certain style is in whether it be punk,
prep, or skater. As a result the masses are expected to see the men
who dress like this to be "stylish". In high school I saw many trends
come and go. Sometimes I was looked at as "uncool" because I didn't
wear skater shoes. Other times I would be seen as stylish with my
shaggy hair. I didn't change but my, for lack of a better word,
"coolness" would. Depending on the style at the time.
I photographed myself wearing five different styles. I prefer not
label these styles and leave it up to the viewer to take it as they
will. This is why my piece has no text. The beauty of photography is
that even thouhg I will explain how I view the piece someone else may
see it in a whole other light.
The four outer images are not my true self. Some might make me look
better others worse but it doesn't matter because none of them are, in
essence, me. The center image is myself in it's purest form. I'm not
wearing a hat and I do not have my hair altered in any way. I am being
my true self. You will notice that I'm wearing the same shirt and
necklace in every picture. I do this because I'm trying to show that
even though we can change how we look some things will stay the same.
A part of our true self will stay with us. That is why the center
image doesn't have sharp corners. I used Photoshop to blend the
corners of the center image so it would flow into all the other
images. This way the outer images are not four different people but
four essences of one.
These images were taken with a tripod and a self timer setting on my
camera. I did this even though it would have been easier to have
someone else shoot me because I felt I had to shoot it myself in order
for it to truly be a autobiography. Otherwise the photos would have a
different look to them. Every photographer has their own style.
Something that makes them unique. For me I find that it is how close I
get to my subjects and the interesting framing you get when your
closer then is thought to be conventional.
I chose to use my backdrop rather than a blank wall because I felt
that the spattered paint could represent the chaos of the media. All
those messages being forced upon us, the very same messages that
influenced this piece.
Although it is the minorities' viewpoint I do believe that body image
and trends are problems for males as well. That is why I did this
piece so I could spread that message and make that statement. An
underlying message in this piece is the tough guy image that men have
thrown at them. In order to be a man you have to be tough, have a
"built" body, and can't show weakness. I took this idea and thought
about how I could show that in these images since I do not show my
body. So I took the common thought that "Real men don't wear pink" and
with that in mind shot the image of me in a pink hat. I did this to
show that you don't have to be tough to be a man, you can wear pink
and still be a man. Even though pink is thought to be a colour
associated with women and therefore a more emotional colour. With this
thinking I've shown even though I'm a man I can still show emotion.
Since this project is an autobiography about how I interrupt the
media's messages, I thought that it was the perfect opportunity to
address this issue that has been bothering me for some time. I know
that this is a very Liberal way of thinking but it is something that
needs to be addressed. Just because male body image is not conveyed in
the media on the volume that it is for women doesn't mean it's any
less of a problem. Many young men have struggled with this problem and
it should become a better known issue.
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