The Body Is Not A Thing
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Dates2020 - Ongoing
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Author
- Location Los Angeles, United States
This photographic essay is titled The Body Is Not A Thing. At its essence, the essay is a study of the Madonna-whore complex and our cultural insistence on the polarization of female sexuality. These images were taken in Los Angeles between May and August of 2022. Los Angeles itself is a city characterised by Hollywood and its shadow, the sex industry. Although it was not intentional, each of the subjects I met during this period fell somewhere within the spectrum of these tropes. My photographs are of actresses, singers, dancers, sex workers and mothers.
America feels like the duplicitous frontline for both social progression and cultural regression. The concept of gender itself is in flux as we reestablish our understanding of the male/female binary, and it is communities in Los Angeles or New York who are leading these advances, in contrast, we are bearing witness to strategic political plays for women’s rights, such as the US Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022. The critical question is, who has agency over their bodies and therefore their lives?
In considering the concept of this project, I am reminded that female autonomy is a recurring theme throughout history, yet it remains one of the most pressing issues of contemporary life. What comes to mind are the viral images of women in their seventies carrying signs at recent marches that state “I can’t believe I’m still protesting this shit”. I see this photographic project as a quiet act of resistance. As a photographer and a mother, the question of agency returns in the context of my exchange with these subjects, both roles are an exercise in trust, often revealing, sometimes playful and always deep.
This intimate portrayal of women’s bodies, families, and homes within the context of the city of Los Angeles aims to celebrate the nuance of our experiences and our sexuality. The essay acts as its own agent for change, a wordless exchange in which it asks us to pair nurture and arousal and to revolutionise our perception of women beyond the dichotomy of Madonna-whore.
Credits: Co-concept, Production and Casting by Annabel Crook
