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INVERTED IMAGES |
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An investigation of the lesbian identity through visual and cultural representation |
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The influence of these photographers, whose work has sought ways of representing a lesbian identity or of creating an alternative one, can be seen in the pages of Diva, a contemporary magazine whose strapline reads ‘LESBIAN life and style’ [their emphasis] – a rich source of imagery and current social attitudes towards lesbians from a lesbian viewpoint. In Michele Martinoli’s photograph (fig. 22), used for a Diva promotion, there are clear references to the work of Della Grace in the overt sexuality of the pose and the bondage-style hand-cuffs and dog collar. The model averts her gaze from the viewer and crosses her arms across her chest, both submissive ‘feminine’ gestures but these are countered by the hard stare, leaving the viewer in no doubt that this is not a submissive role-playing ‘femme’ but a self-possessed woman in control of her own image. By presenting women with this kind of imagery, Diva takes the negativity of psychological theories, the brutality of pulp fiction and the blinkered bigotry of early film and turns them into a basis for something very positive. |
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WORDS PICTURES |
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