Rebel Curls

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I found this image to be really striking. I suppose what draws me in most is her expression; although none of her facial features are every strongly defined, she still carries a very intense, even a little rebellious look. Her gaze is very focused, and unlike most of the pictures of women we have seen so far, she is not looking away from the viewer, but up and outside the frame of the picture, with a 3/4 shot of her face. Her hair itself is also of interest; showcasing a new, non-traditional style, it feels rebellious, especially as it helps to mask her face.

Her expression here may just be due to her concentration on her hair, but I still feel that it is a powerful and important component of the image. I think this is especially true in the context of the image, where she is modeling her hair after a bob-cut, connoted with youth and liberation, all of which I feel play off of each other.

There are also strong western signifiers in this image. Her hair style, clothing, make-up, and possibly even attitude all seemed to be influenced by U.S. fashion. From reading the information from here she may have even been a 'moga'; one of the Japanese women whom began to embrace western culture. Her more powerful gaze and less conservative dress seem to support this. There is also the question of what is simply modernization and what is westernization.


I feel that this photograph is also interesting in that it is done in a portrait style, yet is not a traditional portrait. Instead, the photograph reaches beyond the typical standards of a portrait and allows itself both to focus on the woman and her task at hand. I feel that this helps to emphasize her modern outlook, and also distances the photograph from photography marketed towards globetrotters. In any manner, a captivating and interesting portrait.