Five glossy portraits of steady-eyed women stare back at viewers with a sense of strength and composure, seeming to lock eyes with each individual who looks their way in the photography exhibition, “Our Women Be Strong.”
Senior photography major Jessica Bardales reflects the identities of five different women this week in her latest photography exhibition. Through photo portraits of self-willed women from Bardales’ life, “Our Women Be Strong” was made in an effort to defy the social pressures for women to have to conform to stereotypical gender constructions.
The 20-by-29 inch photographs of these five women are different than typical pictures of women seen in pop-culture media. Each one is standing, calm, cool and collected, with an earnest look on her face. According to Bardales, the facial expressions help further her point of disregarding the mainstream gender ideals.
When choosing women for her collection, Bardales said she picked some of the strongest women from her own life.
“I was just making portraits of women that I know, like family members, that defy these [gender] constructions,” Bardales said. “I talked to them beforehand and really tried to understand their struggles or their values … then after I told them about the project, they were really digging it and wanted to be a part of it.”
According to Bardales, each woman chose her own stance in her photograph, with a little guidance from Bardales herself. This collaborative effort worked well for the exhibit, giving each photo a personal touch, and set these women apart from the models of pop-culture who are being told how to pose and how to act.
Bardales captured their individual personal demeanors, where each portrait drew the viewers attention back to the fixed look upon each of their faces.
“When you’re viewing [women], like the [public] male gaze, you’re looking at them,” Bardales said. “I wanted to make a portrait where they’re looking at you. They’re challenging you, they’re asking you to think about how they’re being represented.”
Bardales said she has been practicing photography since her junior year in high school, and that this project has really invigorated her passion for the arts.
“This project has really made me want to continue working with people, and making portraits,” Bardales said. “That’s really what I’m into, making portraits.”
One of Bardales’ portraits is of her co-worker’s daughter, and she said the portrait represents a special role of how kids are affected by gender roles.
“When you’re a kid and you don’t follow that strict, narrow way to be a girl or way to be a boy, it’s horrible,” Bardales said. “In school, kids are bullied, and if you step out of that, it’s like, you’re ostracized.”
“Our Women Be Strong” is exhibited in the Max L. Gatov Gallery East on upper campus between Fine Arts buildings 2 and 3 and will be on display until Thursday.