Fashion Photography: Beyond the Gender Gap

By Natalia Borecka for Papercut Magazine January 2011

Most conversations about fashion photography revolve around fashion, and the models wearing it. This isnt surprising given that they are, naturally, the subjects of the photographs themselves. But Id like to move behind the photograph, and take a look the person creating some of those iconic images. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what they dont say is that in the fashion industry the beholder is usually a man. Until very recently a familiar tenor could be heard echoing through every glossy publication the world over. Flipping through the pages of any given fashion magazine, one couldnt help asking, where were all the female photographers? British Vogue has published 120 issues since January 2000; in the span of ten years 106 covers were shot by men, and a meager 9 by women. Similarly, in the last 5 years W Magazine has had a total of two covers shot by a female photographer Inez Van Lamsveerde, who works along-side her male partner Vinoodh Matadin. The numbers are similar when one looks at the ratio of female to male photographers shooting all major fashion campaigns. Theres no denying it the business of fashion photography is currently dominated by men. In a field that primarily caters to women, the fact that the female fashion photographers perspective has been largely left out is difficult to understand. In many ways, fashion photography has followed the same male-dominated trajectory outlined by art historians. At first there were no women in the field, and then there were a few unacknowledged players. As time went on, a small group of brilliant trail blazers managed to open the gates for other women who were just itching to pick up a camera. Yet the similarity between women in photography and women throughout art history falls short in one major respect: there is seemingly nothing standing in the way of the modern woman. In the past, women were simply not given the liberty to produce works of art. Those that did worked anonymously under the shadow of their teachers name. Of the women that managed to attain enough notoriety to warrant an actual mention in the archives did so through scandal and intrigue relating to the artist as a woman. Her actual artwork was incidental. The female photographer on the other hand, was accepted from the start, if awkwardly at first. In her book, Tender Violence Yale Professor Laura Wexler points out that, Throughout the 1890s, the periodical press carried many articles that praised photography as a vocation for women. By the late 1890s, photography was recognized as a profession suitable for women, employing thousands in both Europe and North America. Yet, this social acceptance of the female photographer has had seemingly little long-term effect. In 2000 San Diego State University Professor Dr. 1

Martha M. Lauzen conducted a study of behind-the-scenes workers on randomly selected episodes of every drama airing between 1999 and 2000, to determine how many women would be represented. Of the 1,718 individuals surveyed, women made up 23% of those working on the programs, and for three seasons in a row 0% were directors of photography. Historically women were the subjects of great works of art, but rarely their creators. Similarly, women were always more likely to be featured in fashion photographs than they were to create such photographs. The parallel invites an interesting possibility, that even art is gendered. Like woodworking, baking and figure skating, photography invites a gender association. It is a historical legacy passed down by generations of artists, designating women as subjects of art rather than creators of it. Women may find it difficult to see themselves in the role of a photographer the same way they may find it difficult to cut their hair short or stop shaving their legs. In her research, Arizona State University Professor Dr. Carol Martin found that, whether consciously or not, parents impose traditional gender roles onto their children and scorn children that dont quite fit the mold. Such subtle social influences could cause women to identify with the muse instead of the artist, and find standing in front of the camera more desirable than standing behind it. Famed art critic John Berger once wrote, Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at. Berger believed that the long tradition of objectifying the female form in art has caused women to identify with this kind of objectification. In his analysis, with time objectification became something of a feminine state of being. According to him, women exist with the constant vague awareness of being looked at, and for this reason, there is a disparity between being the object of admiration, and being the giver of admiration. And so, even the feeling of being observed and admired is gendered. If given a choice between modeling and photography for example, modeling may seem a more desirable career option for a woman looking to get into the fashion industry because, without even realizing it, she has been primed to feel that being in the spotlight is better than being behind it. Yet, the cause of any wide-reaching trend is never singular, and though art history has a bearing on the statistics, its influence is only a small part of the bigger picture. Every discussion on the subject of male dominance in fashion is similar in two respects: It highlights our tendency to generalize, and oversimplify this phenomenon. It is difficult to know for sure what has caused such a dramatic imbalance in the field of fashion photography, but there is mounting evidence that the field is on its way to being leveled. In recent years there has been an influx of females entering the photography field. Between 1976 and 2005 female enrollment in the Brooks Institute of Photography has multiplied 14-fold, compared to male enrollment which has not quite doubled in the same amount of time. Enrollment for the fall 2010 semester into the New England School of Photography has a ratio of 108 female students to 48 male. Younger and more progressive publications find 2

the gender scales shifting in favor of female photographers. So far, of the editorials featured in Papercut Magazine 78% have been shot by women. If this trend continues, in the coming years we may see a more balanced ratio working on the most lucrative and high-profile projects in the industry. Change is a beautiful thing.