Study task 9- Synthesis. emendments

In a practical investigation carried out by practising illustrator Megan Naylor – Wardle, she attempts to investigated the wider picture and how women are objectified, but with the overarching aim of celebrating women’s bodies and being a woman, eliminating the objectification.  Throughout the investigation she also tries to establish what feminism is, by employing the feminist theories to her approach and process such as ‘The Male Gaze’ (Mulvey, 1975) and of how women’s bodies are viewed in society. Naylor –Wardle’s aim to try and eliminate the stigma attached to women being objects of heterosexual male desire by showing women’s bodies as functioning being and creating imagery that goes against the latter. She begins her investigation by considering the parts of a women’s body that are sexualised such as breasts. (see figure 1)

   - Figure 1.

From this she starts to study more into the anatomy of the female body. This is a part of a women that is rarely represented, but it is what allows women to do extraordinary things such as to grow and give birth to new life. It is also a key part of what makes a woman.

Throughout this investigation Naylor-Wardle also tries to establish an opinion into what it means to be a feminist. Dismissing the image of ‘The Default Man’ (Perry,TheDesentOfMan,p14,2016 ) that women sometimes adopt to be taken seriously, and replace. As such, the process she uses to create her images, fabrics and embroidery can be interpreted as traditionally female, however it’s about taking ownership over them and re appropriating them to fit into a different context of celebrating the female form. With this employing some the practical theorises such as Shannon Downey (Downey, S. (2017). She also uses print and pattern to break down the images with the intention of making them slightly obscure and driving the viewer to decipher what is depicted. The reasoning behind doing this is so the patterns could potentially be used in a more commercial context, hence spreading the wider message. Print and repetition is an effective way of mass producing imagery, whist also being ascetically pleasing on the eye and is very versatile. Although Naylor – Wardle’s investigation is highly experimental, the shapes are sometimes too abstract to read what they are. The larger whole image pieces seem to translate more strongly as there is a less confining space, and there is a more information. (see figures 2 and 3.)

 - Figure 2

 - Figure 3

There could have been more thought to colour as well. Using again a traditional female colour, pink, mixed with others again makes for a successful aesthetic but there needs more context behind it. Considering more colour theorist and studying the connotations behind different colours could have added another level to the concept. At the end of her project, Naylor –Wardle states the opinion that feminism is a theory that is all inclusive. That just because society labels certain activities and actions, as feminine, it is by no means the definitive view and just because you may partake in these and you are still a feminist. It is about having the freedom to do want and be who you are without the attachment of gender stigmas.