Objectification Quote by Susie Bright
““Here was the real scandal of On Our Backs photography: We were women shooting other women — our names, faces, and bodies on the line — and we all brought our sexual agenda to the lens. Each pictorial was a memoir. That is quite the opposite of a fashion shoot at Vogue or Playboy, where the talent is a prop… When we began our magazine, female fashion and portrait models — all of them — were shot the same way kittens and puppies are photographed for holiday calendars: in fetching poses, with no intentions of their own.””
About This Quote
Source Magazine: On Our Backs, 1984–1990
Women photographers turned the camera onto each other, making personal, political statements rather than commercial fashion images.
In simple terms: Women photographed women for personal, political reasons.
Use photography to tell authentic stories.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- magazine publishing
- art exhibitions
- activist projects
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How does personal perspective change visual storytelling?
- What responsibilities arise when representing marginalized bodies?
Limited reach beyond niche audiences.