Hello everybody! This week I have had a lot on my mind. So when Jason tasked us with creating three different images with three different Photoshop tools, I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to air some of my pent-up energy.
Recently, I have been thinking a great deal about feminism and how feminism is portrayed in the media today. Moreover, I have been inspired by The Lily News, which is a publication for millennial women. I am specifically inspired by The Lily News’s Instagram, which features beautifully edited black and white photos with a pop of teal. These bold images disrupt my feed with news by and for women.
And also, why talk about feminism? Because I want to, god-damn it.
A War Cry for Women
Tool Used: Horizontal Text Tool with a Vector Mask
The first image I made focuses on the phrase “Nevertheless, she persisted.” This now-famous phrase was said by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2017 after Senator Elizabeth Warren’s resisted confirming Senator Jeff Sessions as U.S. Attorney General. Since its utterance, this phrase has become a war cry or mantra for feminists everywhere. Usually, designers use a very feminine brush stroke font for the text. I feel that brush stroke fonts take away from the gravity of the words. Consequently, I decided to use a font called Big John that is sans serif and extremely bold. The tool I used for this was the Horizontal Text Tool with a Vector Mask. Creating this image was fun because it reminded me of when I would fill in Word Art with an image on Microsoft Word. Now, I can do the same principle with Photoshop, but with more refined choices.
She Spoke So We Would Listen
Tool Used: Mixer Brush Tool
The next image I created was about Christine Blasey Ford. Christine Blasey Ford bravely shared her story about her sexual assault by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. She shared her story with the Senate Judiciary Committee and, in a sense, the entire American public. Because of the publicity she received, one can only imagine the expectations and pressure faced. Even though she had a support system which stood by her throughout the court proceedings, I can only feel the loneliness that accompanies standing up for what is right. I wanted to depict this alone in the crowd feeling by using the Mixer Brush tool to blur the people surrounding her.
Adam Levine’s Nipples Haunt My Dreams
Tools Used: Rectangular Marquee Tool with Free Transform
Please note that the image below has enlarged male nipples in it. Please feel no pressure to view this image if it makes you uncomfortable.
The last image I created is a satire of a recent occurrence. This last Super Bowl halftime show, Maroon 5’s lead singer, Adam Levine, undressed while performing. This caused an outcry on Twitter as users brought up the apparent double standard in the Super Bowl. In 2004, Janet Jackson had one of her breasts inadvertently exposed by Justin Timberlake during the halftime show. After this incident, Janet Jackson was blackballed in Hollywood. This double standard frustrates me as I will never understand society’s weird aversion to female presenting nipples. Thus, I decided to mock Adam Levine’s nipples in order to draw attention to the double standard at play here.
This assignment really challenged me to look at Photoshop tools in new and unique ways to create digital art. I really did enjoy creating these images and I look forward to creating even more!
Works Cited
“Big John / Slim Joe Font – Befonts.Com.” Befonts – Download Free Fonts, 13 Nov. 2015, https://befonts.com/big-john-slim-joe-font.html.
Karanth, Sanjana. Adam Levine Shows His Nipples At Super Bowl, And Janet Jackson Fans Demand Justice | HuffPost. 3 Feb. 2019, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/super-bowl-2019-halftime-adam-levine-janet-jackson_us_5c579b77e4b09293b2054f35.
Miller, Matt. “At Least Adam Levine Took His Shirt Off During the Super Bowl Halftime Show.” Esquire, 4 Feb. 2019, https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/music/a26126186/maroon-5-super-bowl-halftime-show-2019-review/.
Orso, Anna. Some Say Women’s March Pink Hats Aren’t Inclusive. Philly Organizers Say Wear What You Want. 16 Jan. 2018, https://www.philly.com/philly/news/some-say-womens-march-pussyhats-arent-inclusive-philly-organizers-say-wear-what-you-want-20180116.html.
Scott, Dylan. “The 7 Most Important Moments from Christine Blasey Ford’s Senate Testimony.” Vox, 27 Sept. 2018, https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/9/27/17910214/christine-blasey-ford-senate-testimony-brett-kavanaugh-hearing.
“The Lily.” Https://Www.Thelily.Com, https://www.thelily.com/. Accessed 6 Feb. 2019.
The Lily (@thelilynews) • Instagram Photos and Videos. https://www.instagram.com/thelilynews/. Accessed 6 Feb. 2019.
Victor, Daniel. ‘Nevertheless, She Persisted’: How Senate’s Silencing of Warren Became a Meme – The New York Times. 8 Feb. 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/us/politics/elizabeth-warren-republicans-facebook-twitter.html.
WashPostPR. The Washington Post Unveils The Lily – The Washington Post. 12 June 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/wp/2017/06/12/the-washington-post-unveils-the-lily/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.7b9880beb7b8.
