Let's Be Friends?

Wow. So, based on the disturbing events of the past few days, I have decided to conduct a scientific experiment. Or I don't really know if it's an experiment, because if I recall correctly from junior high science, experiments involve hyphotheses and other official steps that I don't remember, because a) I was terrible at science, and b) all of my practical life knowledge comes from either television or The Baby-Sitters Club.

But here's whats going on. I changed my default pic on Myspace, which for those of you who don't share the obsession, is the picture that people just browsing profiles sees. I was feeling all melancholy and dramatic because it's the holidays, so I uploaded this great photo by Cindy Sherman. She's an amazing photographer, whom I discovered while taking my Women in Art History class at Molloy. Okay, so I guess I did learn some things from school.

Anyway, Sherman's work portrays feminine stereotypes, and examines attitudes towards sexuality, both past and present. "Untitled 93" features a woman who is lying in bed, hair tousled, wearing something lacy. At first glance, it might appear sexy, but if you look more closely, you see that the woman is fragile, cowering, clinging to the covers, with black eye makeup running from tears under her glassy, empty eyes.

This picture? Got me ten friend requests. Ten! And the thing is, these weren't requests from people who recognized the art, or had anything to say about my personality, or writing, or anything other than how beautiful "I" was.

Now, I'm used to invitations to the pictorial brothels that oh-so-many "I'm not gay, I swear" dudes on Myspace love so much. My hair is blonde and my boobs are big, and that is usually enough for the guys who collect Myspace women like baseball cards. Or like they would if baseball players left them comments about their "hott pecss." And wore thongs. Blonde is easy; it's uncontroversial. Its Barbie; it's Jenna Jameson; its the bland apple pie of heterosexual sex. I get that. Not my thing, but I get it.

What I also get, and what disturbs me, is how fitting it is that "Untitled 93" got me ten friend requests. Not a single one of Cindy Sherman's portraits was meant to be even accidentally sexy. I guess you could find sexiness in the darkness and intelligence of her art, but judging by the messages I received, I really don't think that's what it was about.

In later works, Sherman featured mannequin parts with grotesque orifices, to examine the correlation between violence and the objectification of women. To demonstrate how as long as people view other living, breathing souls as nothing more than body parts for our own consumption, we shouldn't be terribly surprised when all that's left in the wake of our hunt is carrion.

I'll probably talk about this more another day, because much as I love Myspace, there is a great deal about it that disturbs the hell out of me. And even outside of Myspace, there is too much that we take for granted as the norm, particularly with regard to sex, that infuriates me.

But for now, I'm taking notes on what kind of pictures draw what kind of responses. Right now, my default picture is Faith's knife! So far, no random requests. Ill keep y'all posted.

©2005