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Women’s periodicals have influenced generations of women in their body image and the concept of a female ideal. As Wolf states in The Beauty Myth (1990)

“The voice of the magazine gives women an invisible female authority figure to admire and obey…. which women are rarely offered anywhere else but in their glossy magazines. That voice encourages that trust… and sharp eye as to how thoroughly ad revenue influences the copy. It is easy to misread the whole thing – advertisement, beauty copy, images of models – as if it were a coherent message from the editors telling women, “You should be like this.” Some of the harm done by the magazines to women comes out of that misunderstanding.”

This body of work of 32 images unpacks the visual portrayal of women in periodicals such as Australian Women’s Weekly, Cleo and Dolly by comparing selected images contained in these periodicals to photographs that document my personal history. The ideals portrayed in these women’s periodicals is examined to establish the possible connection and influence of the effect of the female ideal on my past and present.
My current body of work since 2002 is again investigating identity and the effects of family artefacts and immigration.

What is woman's role? 1955

2002
laser print, metal poster frame
69x43cm

Pretty smocked party frock 1957

2002
laser print, metal poster frame
69x43cm

How to get a man 1960

2002
laser print, metal poster frame
69x43cm

The Ideal Girl 1963

2002
laser print, metal poster frame
69x43cm

Crochet a Bikini 1976

2002
laser print, metal poster frame
69x43cm

Melbourne Central

2002
laser prints, metal poster frames
247x222cm

Raising the Bar and Lip Service

2002
laser prints, metal poster frames, digital print on polyester
size variable