The Last Image Analysis Essay

Throughout history, humans have tried to develop meanings of images and icons to gain a deeper understanding of society as a whole. Images may be examined in terms of two levels of meaning; denotation and connotation (Decoding Images, MCS224). When analyzing photographs, denotation is when the most specific or direct meaning of an image is taken, in contrast to connotation, which is an image’s, figurative or associated meanings. Many scholars have tried to define “femininity” over the years, but there is yet to be a specific definition (Olsson Women and International Peacekeeping 3). According to many people, femininity is very subjective. The three images I have chosen, further this concept of subjective femininity. This essay will analyze

She is dressed in black, with a bonnet on her head and a net that extends to in front of her eyes. She’s wearing a black corset, with gray see-through leggings. Madonna has long black gloves on and is wearing a deep unbuttoned top, which shows her entire cleavage. For her back view, the audience can see her holding the bottom of her corset up to show everyone her undergarment. By analyzing this image through connotation, one can say she is very wealthy, due to the way she is posed in front of a camera, and a bodyguard standing beside her. She can also be perceived as cheeky due to the fact that she has her corset pulled up to show her

When comparing the older European woman to Madonna, the idea of a woman showing skin can be studied, as where the European woman’s skin is covered by her dress, which was the cultural norm at the time and was therefore feminine. If she were to show her behind, the way Madonna does in Image 3, it would go against the cultural norm and would be highly unfeminine. However, in today’s age this highly sexualized picture of Madonna is arguably accepted as being feminine. Therefore, both these images are feminine based on their cultural time frame. The third image of the Indian woman also looks at the skin being covered by garments and being a form of feminism. I only know that as an Indian-Canadian girl however, that skin being covered is considered being feminine in the Indian culture. To further analyze this photograph, using personal experience and punctum, through my visits to India, and the cultural understanding of the Indian mindset, the woman in the picture is not very feminine according to “Indian Ideals.” In India, she would be considered that of a lower caste, due to the way she is dressed and her darker skin tone. The henna applied on her palms is not of very high quality and is not something woman of a higher caste or more wealth would