Final Image.

In the end this became my final image for this project.

I think it sums up exactly what I was trying to say and portrays the restrictions and sexuality of cyborgs. I think that it demonstrates the expectations females within popular culture in respect to sexuality, image and identity whilst also showing how fashion effects this, relating to the fashion of women in popular culture.

Overall I am happy with this outcome, considering my lack of knowledge of Photoshop.

Creating my final image.

I chose to start with this image of the plus size model Tara Lynn. As stated previously in my research, I really liked the idea of a female cyborg being held up to show the restraints and control that media has over the female identity. I initially started editing simply by using the patch and clone tools to remove all of the writing upon the image. After this, I desaturated the image for two reasons, one being that it was simply going to be easier to edit with black and white, as I do not feel confident enough within my knowledge to create an image that would look realistic enough when having to worry about colour. Secondly, I think that black and white helped to convey my theme more as it kept it quite simple and the focus was kept on the workings of the cyborg rather than distracting colours. If I were to use colour, I would want them to be similar to the work of avatar photography that I looked into.

I went on to remove the piece of cloth that are connected to the hoops that the models arms are on. This was simple enough to do and I didn't worry too much about the details as it was a small section of the image and I would be covering it up in the next stage.

I then used this image of chains to replace the fabric to make it look more mechanical and restricted. Being tied up with chains seems to me to reflect both the pain/restriction side of cyborgs and the sexual side. I used the magic wand tool to select the chains, so close up, they look quite pixelated and are not very well connected to the hoops. The colour/texture also does not completely work, but from a distance I think it looks okay. I hope that I can learn how to fix this in the future. 

I then used the magnetic lasso tool to select this skull style metal mask and used overlay to put it onto the models face. I decreased the opacity so that it seemed to fit better and erased the edges and the eye sockets so that you can see the models eyes, I feel that this brought a deeper connection to the image, as I have stated in my very initial research when looking into eyes...eyes can be said to be the window to the soul.

I then used the patch and clone tools to get rid of her legs, I didn't worry about being too accurate with this as I knew I was going to cover up her hips. I concentrated on getting the background right so that the coloured matched and didn't look patchy. I then experimented with using this image of a stomach with a measuring tape around it. If I knew how to do it, I had the idea of using a measuring tape to tie her up further and restrict her. However I do realise that this would be going back to making it about weight and dress size, so I am kind of glad it didn't work out. 

I used the quick selection tool to capture a certain part of the image of wires, I then deleted small sections of it to blend it into the black on the models top. I think that it looks quite a bit like a skirt, which links to my idea of looking at cyborgs in fashion. I also wanted her to be suspended by the chains, adding to her restriction. I had to clone over some of the wires so that the brick wasn't there and so that it was less obvious they were on the floor, but I think it was quite successful. 

I was happy with the image up to then, as I think it captures exactly what I want to say. However, I did originally want the woman in the image to be nude. Therefore, the final thing I added to my image was these breasts as I wanted to sexualise the model. I used an image of a woman who has fake breast implants, as I wanted them to be over the top and capture what I wanted to say about the expectations of women. The fact that she has large fake breasts and then the rest of her has become monsterous and restricted sums up my theme perfectly.

At first the overlaying of the breasts didn't work very well, so I had to add more shadows to the natural upper curve of the breasts by using the clone tool.

BBW

After some thought and a whole lot of "Googling" for ideas, I came up with the idea of looking at 'big beautiful women'. I thought it would be interesting to look into how these women are perceived. These are some of my favourite images that I came across whilst researching...

I found these images incredible, as they are very mainstream fashion style shoots, yet with women of an average dress size. To me these women don't seem overweight at all and are absolutely beautiful. The fact that they have to be put into a category of "plus size" seems ridiculous.

Plus size models are not put based on weight or on dress size, but mainly on hip measurements. I know this from my own experience in the modelling industry, and am pretty sure that although I am not overweight and am a very average weight and dress size for my height, I would be seen as plus size as my hips are very wide.
I can not understand how somebodys bone structure can determine if they are seen as overweight within the world of popular culture, but it happens and is an unfortunate truth.

Due to my strong feelings on this, I thought it would be very interesting to use women from this category of the modelling world, as although they may be more beautiful or attractive than some of the starving catwalk models we see, they are held back by their label of "plus size". This label can often be seen as a negative thing by women due to the pressures of the media to be a certain size or weight and so I do not think that the industry should separate plus size models to those who are underweight. I just think that models should be models and that should be the end of it. (going on a bit of a rant here)

To wrap it up, I think that the restrictions of being categorised as a plus size model reflect the restrictions of a cyborg. It also helps demonstrate my point of how media controls our expectations of women, as even though these women are being celebrated for their size, they are still photographed in very sexual poses, often naked, as if they are trying to prove a point that they can be sexually desirable too.

Starting to work towards final image.

I have really stupidly lost most of my experiments, but they were very similar to the simple edit I did on the image of Rihanna. I used images of Beyonce mainly as I found her to be one of the most influential women of todays popular culture. However, I was given the suggestion of looking at using women who would not normally be seen within sexualised images of cyborgs, such as overweight or typically unattractive women. One image I was looking to work with was this... 

...however after trying to add a few cyborg type alterations, I found that it looked too fake and my knowledge of Photoshop is not advanced enough to make it work. Most of the other experiments were simple overlays with the celebrities, I think I must have saved them to a mac in Uni rather than to my USB stick, like an idiot. 

Going from the idea of using overweight women, I decided to look at the opposite end of the scale and look at women who have suffered with anorexia. 

Along with the images again being difficult to work with due to the positions of the women, upon reflection I thought that using such images would be very cliche when looking at female body image. I didn't want my project to become something based on weight, as that is not completely what I have been focusing on and I wouldn't want the theme to take such a dramatic turn during the end of the project.

Selection of research images.

These are simply a selection of images I have looked at whilst researching. The images of the actress Rose McGowan are taken from a film called Planet Terror, where she plays a stripper who ends up losing a leg and becoming a cyborg with a gun for a leg. She is very sexualised yet intimidating, linking to my research on Marilyn Manson (who coincidentally, has dated McGowan...random fact for you)

The rest of the images depict women with some kind of cyborg physicality, yet all are very sexual, beautiful women who have been photographed in a very flirtatious manner.
The exception of this behind the second to last image, which I believe to be a drawing or digital manipulation. This image shows the woman to be looking very upset about the state she is in, yet she is still shown to be topless and beautiful. I like this image an awful lot and may look into basing my final image around it. The fact that she is hanging up from something shows the restrictions put upon her and also that she has most of her body missing, suggests a feeling of being incomplete and unhappy.

Reflection on feedback session.

I looked into a few of the suggestions that I took from the feedback session and came up with these results:

Deus Ex The Eyeborg Documentary: 2011

This video follows Rob Spence as he looks into real life cyborgs around the world, comparing what he discovers to the main character, Adam Jensen, of the game Deus Ex, is a cyborg. Spence is a cyborg himself, with a camera fitted in his eye from 2008. (coincidentally, I have an image of his eye in one of my first posts, before I knew of him, but here it is again...)

The video seems to take cyborgs in a Utopian light, showing how the developments of technology are enhancing peoples lives. Whilst I completely agree with that and am very happy and impressed that these enhancements can improve quality of life for some people, the video also vaguely addresses the restrictions of being a cyborg. One man tells us how his cyborg legs can not walk upstairs, and we find that this issue is only slowly becoming solved. To me this seems to show that whilst technology can improve the lives of those who have lost limbs and such, cyborg enhancements can never completely replace the natural human body, as if those who are unfortunate enough to have to use technology in such a way, may always feel there is something missing.

I also looked at the cyborg experiments of Joanna Zylinska and the cyborg manifesto of Donna Haraway (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/Haraway/CyborgManifesto.html) but unfortunately didn't find that they helped me much and don't feel I took enough information from them to deem it worth writing about. Perhaps I didn't look into the Joanna Zylinska work far enough though, a fault on my part, but it's too late for that!

Pornification of the western world is something I took from the feedback session as a great sentence that sums up what I am interested in here. However I have been finding it very difficult to find anything in specific about this theory, so will just have to leave it as a phrase.

Marilyn Manson.

Marilyn Manson: Tourniquet-1999

The cyborg images I posted in my previous post, largely reminded me of the visuals within this music video for Marilyn Manson. The girl within the video, seems to be both the love interest and somewhat of an experiment of Mansons. To me it seems that he creates her, falls for her, then she takes over and has some kind of control over him. I tried to screen shot some of this video but it is very jumpy and moves too quickly for me to capture it, but there is a scene where Manson has become to look like the girl (you'd have to watch to understand) and seems to be connected to her via a number of wires. He seems very uncomfortable and she seems to have a certain amount of control over him, which seems very sexual due to the fact she is kissing his face whilst he is in this uncomfortable situation. 

To me this demonstrates the effects that the pressures for women can have on relationships, how women can perhaps go too far and how it can reflect on how men perceive them in a negative light.

As following from what I said about the images in the post before this, the cyborg in this video seems to be almost monstrous, whilst still being seen as a sexual object/fantasy. I find the contradictory ideas here very interesting, the fact that a woman could be seen as intimidating and frightening, whilst still desirable.

I continued to look into Mansons videos and came across a number of them that to me, related to cyborgs.
This video stood out to me the most...

Marilyn Manson: I don't like the drugs (but the drugs like me) - 1999

This video from the same year as Tourniquet, to me, greatly seems to be about the control the media has over society. There is a scene where a woman is seen to be 'pregnant with a television', again suggesting a sexual connection for cyborgs. This is again obviously a very negative video in relation to cyborgs and their effects, showing how the media and technology can have a hold on us and change us. As suggested by the song title, I think that Manson is comparing the media and technology to drugs, that we can become addicted to it and that whilst is seems like a good thing to do, it can have terrible repercussions and ultimately can ruin our lives with a great control over us.

Avatar Photography.

Whilst looking into modelling for this project, I came across a model who had worked on a cyborg style shoot with this photographer...

http://www.avatarphotography.co.uk/

I find that site quite difficult to use regarding seeing the photographs so some can be seen more clearly here (be sure to turn the worksafe mode off at the top right of the page)  http://www.modelmayhem.com/368557


Here are some of the images from the cyborg shoot, that I have taken from the models facebook page who I am friends with (hence the low quality, if you can find them on the photographers site they will no doubt look much better!)

The colours and lighting within these images is very impressive, but what I am most drawn to is the fact that whilst the model is still naked and sexualised, she has become somewhat of a "monster" and is looking very scary. Her cyborg features remind me of the work of Fan Xiaoyan, as they seem to burden her rather than be practical or helpful.

Photoshoot Op.

Once deciding to focus this project on the physical expectations of women, I thought it would be interesting to see if I could find a photographer who would be willing to photograph me and edit me to look like a cyborg.

I was curious to know how I would be modified to become a "perfect" version of myself. I also thought it would be a very unique addition to my own modelling portfolio.

I came across the local photographer Paul Baybut, who's work can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulbaybut/

Baybut was already in the process of working on his own cyborg project, as seen with this following image, which I find to be very impressive.  

I contacted Baybut and he agreed to work with me on this, however, unfortunately his studio became booked out and the only time he would be able to shoot would be March 17th, after the deadline for this project. I initially agreed to shoot regardless of this, as I still think it would be great for my modelling portfolio and find it a very interesting project. However, I became unable to shoot and had to cancel due to having to go home from Uni for the weekend that we had arranged to shoot.

Hopefully we will be able to get back to working on this in the future and I will be able to see what I would look like as a cyborg!

Photoshop experiments.

I created this very simple image by overlaying an image of a circuit-board to an image of the popular singer, Rihanna. I chose an image where she was topless to show the sexualisation of her career choice, and to me, the fact that she is turned away from the camera suggests a submissive attitude towards this. As if she is being told what to do and how to behave...like a cyborg. 

For such a simple edit simply using a section of this above image, I think it is very effective. The fact it is in black and white makes it much easier to edit, however, I think that the black and white adds to the negative vibe I am trying to create and so may stick with it.

Feedback Session.

We had a feedback session in small groups where we went through our blogs so far and discussed eachothers work. Some suggestions I was given to look at/took from the session include...

- the cyborg foundation, Neil Harbisson.
- cyborgs in the military
- future house series
- restrictions of cyborgs
- Orlan
- Cyborg manifesto, Joanna Zylinska
- Stelark
- The aftermath of feminism
- Pornification of the western world

I will take a look at all of these and see how they influence me as I further my work.

Fan Xiaoyan.

http://www.emptykingdom.com/main/featured/fan-xiaoyan/

Xiaoyan is originally from Gaomi, China. But now lives and works in Beijing.She describes her work as “the arrival of a new era, a new kind of human being, a new power, a new sensation… a surrealistic virtual world in which men and women are equal”. 
This to me suggests the idea of how women have to be modified in order to really be equal. The fact that the metal objects attached the women are typically male items such as tanks and saws, suggests that men have an influence on the way women are expected to be.

The women are weighed down and seem to be burdened by the items, none of them look happy with their situation. The fact that the women are naked shows how they are still seen as sexual objects, even more so that they are plastic figures with typically "perfect" proportions. 

Other Examples.

David Guetta: Turn Me On ft. Nicki Minaj - 2012

Muse: Plug In Baby - 2001

These are some more examples of robots/cyborgs within music videos. Though both very different genres of music and years apart, I feel that both videos have suggestions about the female body image and the sexual connotations that come with it within popular culture.

Black Eyed Peas.

Black Eyed Peas: Boom Boom Pow - 2008

Black Eyed Peas: Imma Be Rocking That Body - 2010

The videos from this group also interested me in regards to the theme of cyborgs. "Boom Boom Pow" speaks for itself as they focus mainly on fashion and being "up to date". The second video however, I think shows much more room for analysis...

Whilst also using the fashion styles to attract attention to the female member, Fergie, showing again the sexualisation of the video, I feel that the use of technology has been taken to another level here. Throughout the video I feel that the use of technology suggests power and wealth, when paired with the lyrics of the song and what seems to be the meaning behind it. The band are driving around in futuristic vehicles (wealth) and win in a battle against robots, gaining them respect from the public (power). However, as the video is a dream sequence, an alternate reality (as seems to be a common theme within these videos!) the acting at the start of the video suggests something different to the meanings of wealth and power. At the start they seem to be in a conflict of opinions about how technology would affect the "soul" of their music, with phrases such as "we're not robots!" being repeated. This is quite confusing as the band contradict this with the rest of their video, as if they are trying to excuse themselves for their almost superficial behaviour. 

Robots and cyborgs are often seen within the bands fashion and performances, showing that it is a very common theme within their image. Fergie's outfits continue to be sexualised, and her face is never covered, whilst the male members are dressed intimidatingly and made to look powerful.