And So, I Act Cold

• Prize
  Bronze in Portfolio/Fine Art
• Photographer
  Vanessa Fairfax-Woods
• Technical Info
  Digital
• Photo Date
  2020

The home is where the heart is. Where we feel safe, secure, can relax. However, women’s roles in the home aren’t quite as simple. Often split into roles of mother, wife, siren; women can find the domestic setting a minefield of stereotypes and prejudices that hark back centuries. ‘and so, I act cold’ investigates our struggles with motherhood, sexuality and beauty standards that are pressed onto us.By cherry-picking what we show and what we hide, what sort of fragmented whole are we displaying? This series highlights the frustrations, absurdity and fragility of not showing one’s true self.

With my work I try to give women a chance to play: a chance often denied to women, who, instead, from a young age, are encouraged into roles of mothers, lovers, daughters, etc. In my work I like to create a unique space for women to explore, celebrate and even gently mock their own identities – not for the benefit of the male gaze, nor to conform to stereotypes, but simply for the fun of it all. My subjects play with the camera, and subvert expectations, appearing simultaneously glamorous and funny, strong and girlish.