Amish Farms vs. The Jersey Shore
The sixth chapter of Visual Methodologies explores the visual study and approach of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis is a tool used for organizing thoughts of the unconscious mind. The unconscious can be defined as, innermost thoughts that have been suppressed by society’s standards of what is not acceptable, and result in an internal unnoticed emotion. Basically, the unconscious is a storage room for everything you want to think, or instantly think, but then decide is inappropriate. Aside from the unconscious, psychoanalysis has two main focuses, subjectivity and sexuality. Subjectivity is a viewer’s personal understanding and opinion about an image; it is created by various experiences in a viewer’s life. Sexuality is referred to in terms of gender, and gender roles.
In general, the contents of chapter had merit and presented valid arguments about the different ways people interpret images, they can accurately be applied to the image chosen. There were a few subsections that seemed far fetched, (i.e. the entire explanation on the castration complex) but that is just an example of my personal subjectivity and reaction to the text, it can still be applicable to the image. For this assignment it is appropriate to apply the theories of voyeurism and reflexivity to the Lace advertisement by American Apparel.
Voyeurism is the act of objectifying an image, more specifically a male objectifying a female. Rose explains more thoroughly when she notes that a female may be presented as threatening to the viewer at first, but she is ultimately portrayed as guilty and weak (Pg. 117). In the American Apparel ad, the model is shown in a confident pose. She is bent over backwards and giving viewers a confident, audacious stare. At first glace she can appear somewhat intimidating. So confident that she feels comfortable addressing you, as the viewer, with a somewhat Avant-garde pose wearing nothing but a lace onesie. Upon further exploration however, she can appear helpless.* Her gaze can quickly change from seductive and confident; to child-like and needy, which would in turn gives the viewer (specifically male viewers) control and power. The interpretation of the model’s gaze and her interaction with the audience is something that is understood to each viewer in a separate way.
The individual understanding/interpretation of an image is reflexivity. From my understanding, reflexivity is an elaborated version of subjectivity. Everyone will have a different reaction to something based on their own life experiences and what they have been taught to consider normal. For example, an Amish man who grew up on a farm with no electricity and generally no contact with urban society would more than likely be offended by this image. His own reflexivity would probably be intimidated and want nothing to do with this model or this company. To counter, a guy from Jersey Shore would probably be aroused by this image and interpret the model’s stare as Take me. I’m yours. I love tanning beds and six packs.* Both men interpreting this would (theoretically) have valid points because it is there own understanding of the image based on their upbringing and values.
Although this chapter had a lot of theories that I felt were difficult to apply in reality, they were still accurately applied to the image I chose. It is easy to understand an image from your own interpretation, but it can be interesting to view imagery based on another person’s reactions or understanding. Psychoanalysis attempts to understand society’s reign on the human mind, how it can mold and control our innermost thoughts and whether or not we chose to express them.
*Help! I’m stuck in a ridiculous onesie and I just threw out my back!
*I’ve never actually seen that show, that was completely based on assumption. (I’ve also never hung out with an Amish guy so that was based on assumption too)
