feminine purity


  • Photographer
    Athena Carey
  • Prize
    Honorable Mention
  • University/School
    University for the Creative Arts - Farnham
  • Date of Photograph
    2017
  • Technical Info
    Sony A7rii, 24-70mm

What does it mean for a woman to be pure? Does she need to be soft, gentle, submissive, untouched, quiet and obedient? Should she be open-minded, loving and tolerant of others? Is a woman pure if she is natural, organic and earth loving? Or is it enough that she is simply herself, whatever that may be? I am exploring this subject - questioning others about their beliefs and challenging my own, listening quietly and accepting what I am told. What I am finding is that what we believe makes a woman pure relies heavily on our upbringing and our individual life experiences. The answers are varied and fabulously interesting. These images contain a combination of visual elements that represent my findings so far – nature, religion, softness, submission, silence, strength, openness, innocence – and my friend from university, Nadia.

Story

Feminine Purity

What does it mean for a woman to be pure? Does she need to be soft, gentle, submissive, untouched, quiet and obedient? Should she be open-minded, authentic, compassionate, loving and tolerant of others? Is a woman pure if she is natural, organic and earth loving? Or is it enough that she is simply herself, whatever that may be?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines purity as, “freedom from 
adulteration or contamination.” This makes sense if you are talking about elements, water or air, but what about women? Why is there such a concept and why is it only applied to one of our genders?

I have been exploring this subject - questioning others about their beliefs and challenging my own, listening quietly and accepting what I am told. What I am finding is that what we believe makes a woman pure relies heavily on our upbringing, our social culture, and our individual life experiences. The answers are varied and fabulously interesting.

These images contain a combination of visual elements that represent my findings so far – nature, religion, virginity, softness, submission, silence, strength, openness, innocence – and my friend Nadia, from university.

I plan to continue pursuing the concept and creating more images as my understanding and experience of others’ beliefs expands.

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