Essay construction

Introduction: (100-200 words) 

Introduce about the overall essay content ,form thesis statement

Content: (1500 words)

- Define the feminism
- Define the gaze 

- Using the case study to analyses how feminism use in fashion base media (500 words)

- Using the case study to study how gaze concept use in the fashion base media (500 words)

- From the case study, how fashion media has affect the women attitude and behavior (500 words)

Conclusion: (200-300 words)

Conclude overall essay and what I've learnt/ found out.

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Taking some case study to analysis

1. Malaysia magazine : ifeel or seventeen

2. Malaysia online retailer : http://sallyfashion.com.my/ &  http://www.fblock.com.my/ 

3. Malaysia fashion designer fashion show : The wedding fashion show by Nazreen Idris

Comparison of two website

This post will be some comparison between http://www.fblock.com.my/ and http://sallyfashion.com.my/ of how the women has been portrayed in the photo.

Screenshot photos from fblock.com.my

Screenshot photos from sallyfashion.com.my

From the 2 website, we can see quite big different between two website of how women has been portrayed in the photo. 

The woman who portrayed in the Fblock seems to have more gaze than the women who portrayed in Sallyfashion. 

However, the Sallyfashion photos which brings us to more reality that we can see and feel  there is some theme inside the photo instead of Fblock, it just a plain background to more focus on the model with the clothes. 

The women inside Fblock mostly face front view towards the camera unlike the women who inside Sallyfashion that less front view but more three-quarter view.

Women somehow more show on the upper part of the body in Fblock but in Sallyfashion, women show more to the full body.

However the gaze of the women inside Fblock photo that seems to be have more confidence than the women in Sallyfashion.

Symbolic , Imaginary and Reality

We can see the Symbolic, Imaginary and Reality through the fashion media.

The symbolic is what we can see on the surface/interface, from this case what we can see on the fashion media. As imaginary is the way of how we imagine. However, sometimes the reality will show pros and cons.

Let's take an example to further describe.

In online shopping website http://sallyfashion.com.my/ , sometimes we will refer to how the model wears in the photo before we want to take order of the clothes

As a symbolic, we see thin model dress up with the clothes performs fitness and nicely.
However, we usually will imagine what if we are dressing the same clothes as the model's dressing. Therefore, we only will take order if we imagine "right" in our mind.
Only the dreams inside our imagination will spoilt when we realize when the clothes that you are dressing in the reality doesn't really match with our imagination.
So that, the ideas of virtual fitting room is popular in nowadays.

The gaze

What is the gaze?

Result shows in google.com

From the dictionary in the image, the definition of the gaze is some one who look in to you / glance in to you steadily.

From Jennifer Reinhardt definition of gaze in her article, she wrote that 

- "gaze" has almost been singled out for use in discussions about art. 

- "gaze" is used as a vehicle for communication, and how exactly a gaze transmits information and assumptions about the viewer/viewed

- "gaze" is the medium which produced and contains social implications beyond its function within the work of art.

- "gaze" can be thought of as a dynamic medium bridging the gap between art form [link] and social theory

- "gaze" can be used to confer meaning upon a piece, whether the gaze emanates from the viewer or the work of art

As in her article , she took a quote from Nietzsche that I found it's quite meaning full.

"If thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee"

From that I will be using some example to explain the quote above from what my understanding from it.

Let's take an Malaysia fashion website http://www.fblock.com.my/

The banner from fblock.com.my

Here is the banner of  fblock.com.my which we can see that a young adolescent girl is gazing at you.

"If thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee", from what my understanding, the adolescent look at the camera and so the adolescent that inside the camera will also looking at the person who are looking at her. No matter where you move, the gaze of the girl will just stare at you.

Sometimes, we can get what the message thru the gaze as Jennifer Reinhardt  mentioned that gaze is a medium to transmit information to the audience / reader. 

From Jennifer Reinhardt , in her article the most that she has discuss is the gaze of the artwork. One can stare into an artwork because of there is gaze inside of it. The meaning of the artwork are different as one look at it and will come out their self concept or definition. 

For the gaze in fashion media, from what I get the message from the adolescent girl inside the banner is that the girl are portrayed in innocent pose with her head crooked. However , she is giving me the feel of "Why I'm here? " but not giving me the message of "Welcome to Fashion Dreamland". Another message that she given is if one is imitate her, then one will become innocent like her?

As what MaryAnn Johanson noted "beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but it’s also something we learn." We can learn something from the gaze and it will affect one's behavior and mindset.

Resources :

http://www.flickfilosopher.com/2010/06/defining-the-female-gaze.html

http://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/gaze.htm

Further reading :

http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/arth200/Body/gaze.html

References:

Johanson’S, M. (2010) defining the female gaze | FlickFilosopher.com. [Online] Available at: http://www.flickfilosopher.com/2010/06/defining-the-female-gaze.html [Accessed: 13 Jul 2013].

Interesting article that I found some points discussing about the female gaze in media.

Reinhardt, J. (n.d.) gaze. [Online] Available at: http://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/gaze.htm [Accessed: 13 Jul 2013].

Another  interesting article that I found points that important for the female gaze in media.

Feminism in fashion

In the previous post, we know that feminism define the theory of movement of the equality political, economic, and social for woman.

Can feminism in fashion?

I found quite lot of the interesting points in some of the articles which may help in my essay.

Here I found how the writers define fashion.

Marjorie Jolles and Shira Tarrant have defined that the

 "Fashion is symbolic, expressive, creative and coercive. It is a powerful way to convey politics, personalities, and preferences for whom and how we love. Fashion encourages profound rebellion and defiant self-definition. Yet fashion can simultaneously repress freedom by controlling or disciplining the body and by encouraging a problematic consumer culture."

Other than that, Greta Christina noted that

"Fashion is a form of expression. A language of sorts. An art form, even."

If fashion is a self expression of women , will the style of women's wear shows the feminism ?

As what Marjorie Jolles and Shira Tarrant debates the fashion is creates collective identity, but also restricts individual voice. Fashion provides ways to resist hegemony and communicate identity in the face of cultural and political pressure.From that what I understand about the sentences is somehow relate to political problem.

In conversely, women can shown in more strong, prominent and confident fashion media. As what Emma Clarke said women can present themselves as equals and able to be empowering in their wardrobe decisions. Women can have their own choice of wearing in nowadays unlike in the previous China destiny, when women has no right to stand up and talk but they are under control by their father and husband, all women dressing up the same clothes.

By looking at the fashion magazine, women tend to find out their own style to show what they are, what their taste look like, what they like and what they want to show their personality. As what Greta Christina wrote inside her article of “I want to be judged on who I am, not on the clothes I wear.” It’s a bit like saying, “I want to be judged on who I am, not on the words that come out of my mouth.”

What Marjorie Jolles and Shira Tarrant have noted the fashion is no longer an issue of the political but feminists' own ambivalent relationship to fashion and attempts to transcend the politically loaded project of creating personal style.

But, 

If fashion has been used to introduce new ways of expressing womanhood, it has also been a tether that keeps women’s social, economic and political opportunities permanently attached to their appearances

by Minh-Ha T. Pham

Resources:

http://womensenews.org/story/cultural-trendspopular-culture/120803/feminism-can-decode-politics-fashion#.Uf54_WQpbdI

http://www.fashionweekly.com.au/Trend-Reports/feminism-in-fashion.html

http://freethoughtblogs.com/greta/2011/09/02/fashion-is-a-feminist-issue/
http://msmagazine.com/blog/2012/01/17/if-the-clothes-fit-a-feminist-takes-on-fashion/

References:

Christina, G. (2011) Fashion is a Feminist Issue. [Online] Available at: http://freethoughtblogs.com/greta/2011/09/02/fashion-is-a-feminist-issue/ [Accessed: 5 Jul 2013].

I found this article that discuss important points of the the feminism in fashion.

Clarke, E. (n.d.) Feminism in Fashion - Fashion Weekly. [Online] Available at: http://www.fashionweekly.com.au/Trend-Reports/feminism-in-fashion.html [Accessed: 5 Jul 2013].

I found another useful article that discuss important points of the the feminism in fashion.

Jolles, M. and Tarrant, S. (2012) Feminism Can Decode Politics of Fashion | Womens eNews. [Online] Available at: http://womensenews.org/story/cultural-trendspopular-culture/120803/feminism-can-decode-politics-fashion#.Uf54_WQpbdI [Accessed: 5 Jul 2013].

The article talks about the feminism of fashion. Found some useful points to help in my article.

Pham, M. (2012) If the Clothes Fit: A Feminist Takes on Fashion. [Online] Available at: http://msmagazine.com/blog/2012/01/17/if-the-clothes-fit-a-feminist-takes-on-fashion/ [Accessed: 5 Jul 2013].

Useful article that the author argue about the feminism in fashion. 

Sexual appeal in media

Sometime, women who portrayed sexy in the fashion media will also affect the adolescent girl or the reader.

I found an interesting survey from Marcus Hultin and Erik Lundh about the sex in advertising and how it influences young men and women.

However in this case, I will focus more on women.

In the article of Marcus Hultin and Erik Lundh, they had run through the survey of how the young women define and reaction when the sexual appeal in advertising.

Therefore, they went to have an interview to some of the young women.

One of the young women define that "The people in advertisement are always within the standards of what is considered as good looking when advertisements are based upon sexual appeal."

People in advertisement or any form of media, women always portrayed looking good and thin.

Sexual appeal not only in the movement advertisements but sometimes images and words can have sexual appeal.

Some of the women said "The companies do not gain anything with sexual appeal in advertising since everybody has it."

From that, seen the sexual appeal that happen in everywhere in nowadays and women who really read the advertisement of others media that doesn't really care about how the sexual appeal because they are women too.

Some believe that sexual appeal in media is more towards to men more than women. Some women will change the brand if the sexual appeal too much.

However, women will feel envy as they will sometimes compare their beauty to the media.

As they want to achieve the thinnest that the models have and so this will build up bad confidence towards women.

Resouce : http://epubl.ltu.se/1404-5508/2004/167/LTU-SHU-EX-04167-SE.pdf

Therefore, what mean to be sexy in the women's thinking? Does it really need to be nude at all? 

I found a blogger that wrote about her favorite model in Malaysia.

In this case, the blogger commented this is not her favourite cover but she's looks like an Auntie here.

The cover of the magazine doesn't appeal sexual towards her but how she's look like.

Resource: http://naomitham.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html

Sometimes , it's depends on how fashion media need the women to be portrayed.

Some online shopping website which selling lingerie or bikini and so women should be dress up sexy in order to show out their product.

Image from : http://www.lelong.com.my/sexy-role-playing-models-nightwear-lingerie-4512-myfancymall-112059333-2012-08-Sale-P.htm

References:

Hultin, M. and Lundh, E. (2004) Sex in advertising: How it influences young men and women.. [Online] Available at: http://epubl.ltu.se/1404-5508/2004/167/LTU-SHU-EX-04167-SE.pdf [Accessed: 29 June 2013].

An article that I found that how the sexual appeal in the media for instance the advertisement influence the men and women . For this case, I using the survey that they done and asked the women how they react. 

Lelong.com.my. (n.d.) Sexy Role-playing Models Nightwear Lingerie 4512. [Image online] Available at: http://www.lelong.com.my/sexy-role-playing-models-nightwear-lingerie-4512-myfancymall-112059333-2012-08-Sale-P.htm [Accessed: 29 June 2013].

An image to support what I'm discuss on how women portrayed in the online retailer to show out how women wearing the product not really in the sexual case but to promote the product itself.

Yomi. (2010) March 2010 | Wild Gold Leaves. [Online] Available at: http://naomitham.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html [Accessed: 29 June 2013].

I have use the image from the blog and found what the blogger that talks about her ideal Amber Chia.

Mindmaps & brainstorms

the 1st mindmap I wrote.

After meeting with Daniel, he suggests I can use the theory of real, symbolic and imaginary to talks about how women portrayed in fashion media and how it reflect their behaviors and attitudes

After that , I brainstorm again on what my essay should write about. 

I will be apply the theory of feminism and the gaze concept in my essay and link it to the case study that I probably using the malaysia Chinese magazine ,ifeel and website those selling fashion clothes.

I will be research more on how fashion media affects on women behavior, perhaps using the symbolic , real and imaginary to analyze.