Cui Xiuwen's works are not casual portraits of young women in China. She has purpose in her photographs; the vulnerability of these girls, their maternal natures, their harsh makeup, and their contorted poses frequently contradict each other but still work together to present a whole picture of these girls and women. I personally see a common theme of oppression running throughout these photographs. Their poses appear to be reacting to unseen pressures of the government, their families, or social expectations. Their physical features, like their makeup and pregnancies, seem to illustrate the pressure these girls are under to grow up faster than they may want.
Cindy Sherman's various series of portraits all have a similar rawness to them. Her untitled film stills feature herself as different characters. It makes me wonder if she creates these characters to showcase the various sides of herself or the various characters she feels she or every woman contains. She shows all of the female archetypes rather than specific people and I think it really makes you stop and wonder what kind of woman you are.
Frida Kahlo's self portraits are especially interesting because she has painted herself many times, in many different locations with various props. All of them contain so much symbolic imagery that represents different aspects of her and her life. For example, in the above painting she wears a necklace of thorns, similar to the crown of thorns Jesus wore, to show the suffering she has borne. She looks excessively feminine with the flowers on her head but they kind of seem like they don't belong there, like that's not really her style. She also looks a little angry but is still very beautiful. They're honest and painstakingly done. I'm hoping to draw from Kahlo's symbolic imagery in my own self portrait.
