Photographer Explores the Exploitation of Women and Animals in Self-Portrait Diptychs

Bitch

Lamb

UK-based photographer Rachel Graves links the “domination and exploitation” of women to that of animals in her series of self-portraits entitled Menagerie. Grave’s diptychs are meant to illustrate the similar objectification of women and animals that she says ranges from “the mass media fantasy images of impossibly proportioned women and happy cartoon cows and chickens, to the animal names and insults directed toward women.” She points out that while women are called foxes, bitches, birds, lambs—domestic and game animals—men are most often compared to animals of strength and power—wolves, bears, stallions.

Cat

Fox

Bird

via Lens Culture

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