IDENTITY - Zygmunt Bauman

IDENTITY:

Zygmunt Bauman

Zygmunt Bauman is a Professor of Sociology originating from Poland regarded as one of the greatest interpreters of modern life. His primary focus is the idea of post-modern identity considering the shift in the social conditions that have characterised contemporary life; this shift from ‘modernity’ to ‘post-modernity’ saw a transition from a society of producers to a society of consumers consequently leading to liquid modernity. His writings interpret modern life, in reality, to be more concerned with transience over permanence; for example, the capitalist society we are bound within provides lots of options with little stability as we are blinded by the abundance of choices we face to shape our short term identity.

In Bauman's book, 'Identity' (2004), quoting Lars Dencik, he speaks of how our social affiliations (traditional definitions of identity such as race, gender, social class, family, country and place of birth) are losing importance, becoming diluted by a longing to experience belonging in new groups from which we can facilitate identity-making. Bauman explains that, today, these 'groups' are becoming increasingly virtual and electronically mediated. These 'virtual totalities', as Bauman coins them, are easy to enter and easy to abandon. He continues by withdrawing the virtual, liquid forms from the solid, genuine forms of togetherness that he believes to promise that comforting 'we feeling' we long for. 

Bauman states "we are losing the ability to enter into spontaneous interaction with real people" on the subject of virtual communities. He then quotes management theorist Charles Handy who believes that virtual communities are not a valid substitution for real, face-to-face interaction. He also believes that not only do they do not provide any substance for personal identity, they actually make it more difficult to come to to terms with one's self.

THE GAZE - Gender Ads

THE GAZE:

Gender Ads

'The Gaze' is a term referring to the ways in which we view images of people in any visual medium. It also refers to the gaze of those depicted in the imagery.'The Male Gaze' is used by media theorists and feminists to refer to the voyeuristic way in which men look at women.

This voyeuristic dimension is initiated by the idea that the object of the gaze is unaware of the current viewer despite that they may have originally been aware of being photographed and that there could subsequently be viewers of the image.

Johnathan Shroeder claims 'to gaze implies more than to just look at - it signifies a psychological relationship of power, in which the gazer is superior to the object of the gaze'. It is the act of photographing that objectifies the subject making them 'an object of the gaze'. However, Evans and Gamman believe that there is a distinction between gazing and looking. They suggest that 'the look' is open to all; a mode of perception. Whereas 'the gaze' is a mode of viewing that reflects 'a gendered code of desire'.

The Gender Ads Project is a completely self-funded and voluntary website originally created by Scott A. Lukas. With over 4,000 advertisements it is dedicated to providing a resource for the analysis of gender and advertising.

A section of the website entitled 'Roles' discusses the stereotypical and limiting roles of women in advertisement. This continues with the consideration of womens confinement to the domestic sphere in which they care for children, clean the house, shop for food etc. and the solidification of this in pop culture and advertisement. 

The image above is taken from the 'Roles' section of the site. Depicted is a trouser-less male and nude female. Whilst the male observes the newspaper he's holding, the female observes him, making the direction of attention semi-reciprocal. The advert, intended for a male audience, outlines the idea of the male gaze and its voyeuristic dimension as we look into an intimate situation between the two subjects from an outsiders viewpoint. The idea of 'gazing' referring to a 'gendered code of desire' is reflected in the sense that the male audience are primarily drawn to the nude female before the product thats being advertised, due to the sexualised nature of this campaign. 

In terms of roles, we can see that the female is trapped behind her domestic activity seeking attention from the male. Her complete nudity is almost animal-like...