I am exploring the feeling of rejection through advertising.
For my conceptual photo, I chose a tissue box and lipstick to represent the metaphor of rejection through advertising. The lipstick interacts with the tissue box by drawing attention to itself. I chose an angle and position meant to suggest movement-- as if the box is leaking tissues-- to better echo the loss within rejection. My choice in lighting accentuates the lipstick. The tissues are symbolic of rejection and the lipstick is a metaphor for the commodification of femininity. Whether treated as a stain of promiscuity or the mark of a valuable woman, female expression has always been put into the context of the male gaze, as if it doesn’t have value in itself. This is exemplified when objectification becomes a comforting reaction to rejection. In a culture that emphasizes worth as a quantifiable aspect of a person, rejection feels like a reflection of self-worth, and so using and discarding women like tissues, especially on the basis of something as trivial as lipstick, is reassuring.
During the Photoshop process, I applied s-curves in order to make the lighting more dramatic and used the vignette effect to emphasize the subject further. Editing the color balance was also useful, as I was able to brighten the lipstick and whiten the tissues.
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