I decided to use this assignment as a continuation of my interest in the representation of Woman, with a focus on the idea of Women and Myth. I found these 16 images in various subject headings, including Circus, Primitive Societies, Women, Costume, Fortune Telling, Witches and finally, Women- Occupations. These images represent a fascination with women by representing them as fantastic beings. They are viewed through a voyeuristic lens and encourage the representational signifiers of “the other”, stereotype and fear.
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I can see where you are going with this, I’m just not quite sure you’re there yet. The connection between women and myth (perhaps women and mysticism, slightly different nuance) is age-old. The images you chose range from from the fantastic to the droll, however, despite your claim that they represent women as fantastic. On the droll side of the spectrum, I would put #2 (the victorian prostitues) and the #16 (women carrying water). Similarly the circus women as a whole are a bit jarring, and I think the commentary diverges into freakshow mode that doesn’t really have anything to do with myth or mysticism per se. On the other hand, some of the (generically) African or primitive looking women, and the witches seem to be doing actual ritual activities that one may associate with myth or mysticism. So like I said, you are kind of on the track, but something doesn’t harmonize well for me. I wonder if you’ve completely avoided haute couture fashion magazines where this idea is actually used quite often. The morrocan probably comes closest to that. Of course this is all arguable. You’ve chosen a tricky topic, because everything can be framed with a specific cultural outlook, both in a temporal and geographic contexts.