Cindy Sherman

American Photographer Cindy Sherman is best known for her self portraits in which she depicts social role playing and sexual stereotypes. Throughout her many different series, Sherman has continually addressed and challenged the representation of women in society and the media.

The image below belongs to her 1977-1980 series Untitled Film Stills which is generally considered her most famous series of work with which Sherman received internationally recognition. Untitles Film Stills was a series of 69 black and white self portraits in which she depicted cultural and sexual stereotypes supported by the media.

The below photo is Untitled Film Still #10, it is said that Sherman avoided giving titles to the images to preserve their ambiguity.

All 69 photos in this series are shot on black and white film, one could argue that this is merely because of the level of technology back in that era, or perhaps it also represents the 'black and white' or 'ignorant' outlook many people back then had on men and women's roles in society; for example, many people had the outlook that men went to work and women stayed home all day and that's that.

Another aspect of this image that represents the repression of women is the angle of which the photo was taken; In film and TV, generally a high angle is used to represent a character of power, I believe the same technique has been used in this image- it was taken from a high angle, almost like it's taken from the point of view of someone standing over the woman scolding her.

The setting and props also play a huge role in the theme of this image. It is set in a kitchen with a broken shopping bag; even in to the late 20th century many people believed it was the woman's duty or job to be in the kitchen preparing meals for their family. The way she is looking up with that expression on her face suggests maybe she dropped the shopping bag and she's just been yelled at for doing so. Another prop that stands out is the man's jacket that is draped over her shoulders as though it is weighing her down.

It is photographs like those of the Untitled Film Stills series that have contributed to the change and shaping of society's views on sexual stereotypes. The relevance of the themes in these images are still very prevalent in society today, it is for this reason that Sherman's career has lasted more than three decades and will continue to stand strong for years to come.