Respect and disrespectThere are several issues to be addressed here, all to do with respect or lack of it.
Let us first remind ourselves of what respect is.I shall give here only the two main definitions, according to the dictionary.
1. To take notice of; to regard with special attention; to regard as worthy of special consideration; hence, to care for; to heed [1913 Webster]
2. To consider worthy of esteem; to regard with honor. "I do respect thee as my soul." --Shak. [1913 Webster]
In both definitions respect is given an affective connotation.
With this in mind, let’s examine the issues.
The first one, foregrounded by UL’s own experience of a creepy photographer and Lady Anais’ nightmarish workshop, is to do with disrespect for female nude models, viewed entirely as a means of sexual gratification. It happens more often than you’d think. Only two months ago I was approached by a photographer who wanted me to pose for ‘mildly erotic’ images with a male model, who turned out to be himself. He wanted images of penetration and also oral sex “not real ones of course, but you should make them as realistic as possible” . I do not do any adult work of any kind, I have issues with it, I regard it as exploitative, my model website and my MM page make it very clear. Needless to say this booking did not go ahead, though I wasted a great deal of time on the phone, before realising it was not a genuine request at all. Just imagine. It was meant to be art nude, figure work at that!
Female models as sex objects is of course a subcategory of women as sex objects. It is most unfortunate that to many men women are just that. Recently, I saw a close-up image in someone’s gallery here on DA of a woman’s genital area, so smoothly shaved as to look like a little girl’s. Among the comments posted under the deviation, apart from the praises for smoothness, which I found a bit disturbing, someone – a man - asked the photographer why he had not called it “Woman” - I cannot recall the exact title, possibly "Contours". The photographer had the good grace of replying that if he had given that title many people (i.e. women) would have objected. Indeed. I am referring to this incident because it is indicative of stereotypical male attitudes.
But disrespect to women is shown more broadly and sometimes it is not even thought of as disrespect. Anything that has to do with control (as in wanting to control another, as in bullying) anything that has to do with abuse, both physical - its most extreme manifestation - and emotional, is disrespect of another human being . Women, more often than men, get trapped in relationships - personal, as also working partnerships - which are abusive. My piece for Respect the Model week was not about a Guy With a Camera. It was about a photographer with whom I had worked and whom I loved and respected, who wanted me to feel inadequate about my modelling skills, in what can only be described as a controlling way, and who, in order to do so, took a whole dig at models and what they do with the idea of hitting me specifically. This is someone who would normally be perceived as sensitive, and about whom other models have written that he shows tremendous respect for women – maybe the lack of respect for me is to do with my white hair which clearly makes me a witch, a purveyor of evil,and all witches should be burnt!
Verbal abuse is inexcusable, just as hitting someone who is physically weaker is, no matter what the provocation, – and it has to be said that it is women and children, more often than grown men, who tend to be at the receiving end of such disrespectful behaviour.
All this of course is magnified – violence to nude models and violence to women – when you hear of art nude models being raped. Now, that is a very serious matter. Models will not easily come forward and admit they have been raped, just like women, in everyday life, will find it difficult to denounce rape because the assumption is always that the woman asked for it. Nude models as far as the police is concerned are no better than prostitutes. So what if a prostitute is raped? She is there to provide sex, what is she complaining about? Rape is one of the worst experiences a woman can go through. I personally know of nude models that were given a date rape drug during a shoot and were raped. The police did not do much to help. The models are too scared to tell others about it, other than in confidence.
In general, I would say to models: beware of those photographers who are ready to dismiss another model’s performance when talking with you i.e. “she gave me nothing”. They will talk like that about you soon enough. At the very least, if the photographer you are dealing with says such things, he – it is likely to be a he - is someone who has problems with models and with women in general and it is to do with his attitude!
A second issue which I would link with lack of respect is the invasive photography that is often praised for being a wonderful example of photojournalism. “I am a photographer, therefore I document” is invoked as a justification. Jorg Colberg has a very interesting blog about the documentary value of photography, dealing with intent and the photographic image, although for the purpose of this journal the discussion is tangential – to be picked up in a later entry [link]
I realise that what I have just said seems to be flying in the face of all those photographers that are after candid shots and I know that much good photography was taken without the photographic subjects ever knowing they were being photographed. Still, when someone I do not know points their camera phone at me, without warning, simply because I happen to be part of the shot he/she wants, even though it is done perfectly innocently, I feel uncomfortable. I feel my privacy is being invaded and to me that is disrespectful. Is it just me?
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