Lifestyle

Powerful Photo Series Shows How Male Entitlement Affects Women

by Gillian Fuller
Stocksy

The word “boundary,” as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is as follows:

The last entry in the definition above -- “unofficial rules that define acceptable behavior” -- was the concept that inspired photographer Allaire Bartel to create a photo series documenting sexism and male privilege in our modern society.

The series, named after the word which inspired it, features women in various settings, being physically restrained or groped by unseen men.

The images, partially motivated by the feminist discussion that arose after last year's tragic Santa Barbara shooting, serve as a metaphor for the very real restraints that hold women back from social equality, according to the 23-year-old photographer.

She said,

Things like the [Santa Barbara] shooting, like rape and domestic violence, they happen but… are so extreme that people take those acts of sexism as isolated incidents. I was determined to express the idea that oppression of women does not just occur in extreme isolated incidents, but can also be felt in lesser forms from day to day.

Many of Bartel's photographs were inspired by her own experiences with sexism, as well as those of her two models. One however, was so traumatized by the memories being brought up she had to remove herself from the project.

The series is on display at a gallery in New York, and Bartel says she hopes to hold future events featuring the series as a means to sponsor local women's shelters.

You can see Boundaries -- as well as Bartel's video explaining her motivation for the series -- below.

Learn more about the photographer and her other work here.

"We've become conditioned" to sexism, Bartel claims.

Her series aims to reveal objectification in daily life.

The images were inspired, in part, by personal experiences.

Bartel hopes to organize events to support women's shelters.

But mostly, she hopes to empower women.

Citations: This Photo Series Captures The Female Experience Of Everyday Male Entitlement (Buzzfeed)