Weekly Selfie #4 (self-portrait series) - Nicole Corvi

Photo Series Self-Portrait Project

Bending Won't Break You

Untitled #1

Untitled #2

Untitled #3

Untitled #4

    "She urged viewers to disregard their gender, race or other defining societal factors and instead connect with the humanity they share with others." 

"'A portrait does not have to be the image of an individuality, conceived as an island no one could access but the portraitist. A portrait can be the way to plunge into the sea of life.'"

"'The female artists’ gaze is shaped by their lived experiences, which are different for women and men.'"

    The photo series I titled Bending Won't Break You is directly influenced by Ana Mendieta's Untitled, 'glass on body' self-portrait series, as well as the concepts of the male and female gazes. Shown in the photographs is myself; unclothed, pressing my face up against a sheet of glass as I make various facial expressions that present a distortion of my features. As a female, for the entirety of my life, it has been instilled in me to always want to portray myself in the loveliest way possible. Whether it be from my mother, employers, strangers; I have been conditioned to sit pretty. I should be smiling. My hair should be groomed and styled. The outfit I am wearing should accentuate my features. I should do all these things merely because it is expected of me to obey a certain standard for woman. But why should I have to look good on purpose all of the time? Why can it not be normalized for me to look bad on purpose, while embracing the silly and the ugly parts of myself? It is way more intimate and real than any other version of myself. There is so much more genuine beauty in those who embrace every part of themselves, and those who ignore being perceived.

    Through these images, I am disregarding how society wants me to comply as a woman; something Mendieta is best known for doing. Just like Mendieta, I am using the glass to create a distortion of my face. Originally, I had the idea to manually distort it using an editing software such as Adobe Photoshop; however I decided against this, as I felt that it would take away from the rawness of the natural deformity. As well as Mendieta's work, I was heavily influenced by the concepts of both the male and female gaze. The female gaze empathizes with respect; the male gaze objectifies. While producing these images, I made sure to take into account how societal biases would reflect interpretation. I am a naked woman before the camera, while on the contrary, I am deliberately making myself conventionally unattractive while before said camera. By capturing these specific  pictures and printing them out, I am embracing the female gaze. I am accepting myself who I am, proud of whatever face is seen in the camera's lens. I am comfortable in my own skin and I am confident in the artist who is sharing these photos with you.