"Othering"
Wing Young Huie, Untitled, Undated, Wing Young Huie's website
The image I have selected by Wing Young Huie is this untitled one from his website. Upon the first examination of this photograph, we can observe two advertisements on a city street. One is very colorful and bright, while the other is in black and white. The two advertisements are very opposite and seem to juxtapose one another. There is a man walking between the two photos which emphasizes how normal these images are in the context of our society. The black and white photo seems to be a picture of a mother and son. Because the photo is in black and white, it seems to blend in with its surroundings. The more colorful photo is a group of girls in what seems to be a movie poster. In both images, the people are wrapping their arms around one another. I interpret this use of positioning to have different purposes in each respective photograph. The mother wrapping her arms around her son seems to do so to protect him; to shelter him from the harsh realities of the world. The women in the colorful movie poster wrap their arms around one another in order to add visual appeal. They want to promote their movie.
Upon further examination of the photos, I notice the emotions in the pictures. The mother and son in the black and white photo seem solemn, while the subjects of the colorful photo seem to be just posing for the camera. This might be a commentary on society's tendency to focus on trivial things in popular culture, while simultaneously ignoring other important issues. As mentioned previously, there is a man walking between the two pictures in the background of the photograph. After further examining the man, I notice he is wearing unassuming clothing that could be worn by anyone. I think that this illustrates how common this ignorance of privileged people in society is in the world today. Lastly, the black and white image easily blends in with the black and grey tones of the city streets; a nod to the lack of attention people pay to problems that don't have an impact on them.
The concept of "othering" is very clearly used in this photo, especially in the context of rich versus poor. I assume this because the actors portrayed in the movie poster are paid very generously, while the mother and son in the black and white image seem to be living more modestly. This is very clearly represented in the layout of the photo. Though the two advertisements are located right next to each other, there is a very clear division between them. This is accentuated by the contrast of the black and white photo next to the colored photo. While the movie poster seems very mainstream the other photo is simple and powerful.
Similarly, the concept of "othering" is also very prevalent in The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Just as the black and white photo by Huie is swallowed up by the similar hues of the city streets, the Econowives and Marthas in The Handmaid's Tale concealed as well. Because Atwood does not spend a lot of time in the story about the roles of these characters, a lot of their struggles are ignored. This is due to the intense classism exemplified in the society of Gilead. The bland clothing that is worn by both of these classes accurately characterizes their lack of importance in society, just as the black and white photograph does. This clothing is contrasted by the vibrant red worn by the Handmaids. Though they too are marginalized, their role is too important to the survival and structure of the society to be outright forgotten.
Though this was my interpretation of the photograph, there may be other interpretations to consider. It may have been wrong of me to assume the people in the first advertisement were poor or facing hardships. I inferred this from their expression, though it may be a subconscious form of bias. It is a convenient assumption to make based on the contrasting advertisement, which is very mainstream and luxurious.
Works Consulted:
Upon further examination of the photos, I notice the emotions in the pictures. The mother and son in the black and white photo seem solemn, while the subjects of the colorful photo seem to be just posing for the camera. This might be a commentary on society's tendency to focus on trivial things in popular culture, while simultaneously ignoring other important issues. As mentioned previously, there is a man walking between the two pictures in the background of the photograph. After further examining the man, I notice he is wearing unassuming clothing that could be worn by anyone. I think that this illustrates how common this ignorance of privileged people in society is in the world today. Lastly, the black and white image easily blends in with the black and grey tones of the city streets; a nod to the lack of attention people pay to problems that don't have an impact on them.
The concept of "othering" is very clearly used in this photo, especially in the context of rich versus poor. I assume this because the actors portrayed in the movie poster are paid very generously, while the mother and son in the black and white image seem to be living more modestly. This is very clearly represented in the layout of the photo. Though the two advertisements are located right next to each other, there is a very clear division between them. This is accentuated by the contrast of the black and white photo next to the colored photo. While the movie poster seems very mainstream the other photo is simple and powerful.
Similarly, the concept of "othering" is also very prevalent in The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Just as the black and white photo by Huie is swallowed up by the similar hues of the city streets, the Econowives and Marthas in The Handmaid's Tale concealed as well. Because Atwood does not spend a lot of time in the story about the roles of these characters, a lot of their struggles are ignored. This is due to the intense classism exemplified in the society of Gilead. The bland clothing that is worn by both of these classes accurately characterizes their lack of importance in society, just as the black and white photograph does. This clothing is contrasted by the vibrant red worn by the Handmaids. Though they too are marginalized, their role is too important to the survival and structure of the society to be outright forgotten.
Though this was my interpretation of the photograph, there may be other interpretations to consider. It may have been wrong of me to assume the people in the first advertisement were poor or facing hardships. I inferred this from their expression, though it may be a subconscious form of bias. It is a convenient assumption to make based on the contrasting advertisement, which is very mainstream and luxurious.
Works Consulted:
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. Vintage, 2010.
“Installation Images.” Wing Young Huie, www.wingyounghuie.com/p1008294631.
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