By displaying both photography and sculpture, this image shows the difference between the "ideal woman" in the different artistic eras, while also showing how irrelevant time can be when it comes to acceptance for women.  The two artistic eras depicted are the Renaissance era, and Modern-Day Photography.  These two eras, while centuries apart, do not necessarily suggest progression in acceptance for women's expression.  Their depictions suggest progression because of the mediums used; photography is obviously a later form of art because it is technology that was developed more recently than sculpting came about.  However, the assumption that with time comes more understanding and general progression is false.   No time or place has ever reached the goal of completely accepting feminine expression.  This image shows how acceptance of feminine expression displayed in certain eras proves to be nothing more than trends that come and go, with very little progression made.  This is suggested through the layout and configuration of the subjects in the picture, as well as the juxtaposition of two vastly different cultures.

This image's underlying message has to do with feminine expression, however the message is not obvious when looking merely at the surface.  This image grasped my attention, but not because it immediately reminded me of feminism as soon as I laid my eyes on it.  It captured my attention because of the layout; the positioning of the bodies and the lack of a face.  There is no face to look at, no expression to cling to or to show the viewer how to feel about this particular work.  This picture almost seems as if the two women, (the sculpture and the photograph) are exchanging a glance that the viewer cannot read, and cannot be a part of.  The lack of a face in this image describes the sort of attention that women get for how they present themselves to others, and to the general public.  The sculptured woman, it is easy to tell, was made during the Renaissance artistic era.  She is exposed and lounging; and her proportions and shape reflect the ideal beauty during the Renaissance era.  Her face is not relevant, really: it is there because it is part of the body, but not because it makes a particular point in the piece the way that the body does.  It matters what she is wearing (or not wearing), it does not matter what her face says about it.  The woman in the burka is forced to veil her expressions and emotions.  She is forced not to have readable feelings and opinions.  

My initial reaction was to show how a woman of the Renaissance era was much more appreciated than a woman of a modern day country where the burka is required.  My initial point was that the Renaissance woman was allowed to show her body without shame, and without punishment unlike the Burka-wearing woman, and to show how regressive we are as a world in how we view women.  However, when I looked at this a little further, I realized that all of those initial responses were wrong, or at least misguided, because I was not considering what "better" means.  It seemed better to me that the Renaissance woman could be appreciated for her natural form, and that her face was shown so she could express herself through her facial responses.  It is not better to ignore a woman who is openly expressing herself, rather than make the woman hide her feelings to begin with.  The Renaissance era was not more accepting just because the societal norm was for women to show their faces, because the expressions on those faces were ignored anyways.  Feminine expression is about so much more than the freedom for women to present themselves however they want; it is vocal expression and expression of opinions too.  The woman with the Burka, captured in the artistic era of Modern Day Photography, shows a side of honesty to how women are perceived.  Societies that still require or encourage the burka openly want women to be covered, and for their expressions to be veiled.  This is a much more extreme version of disregarding feminine expression, but it is more or less the same idea that the Renaissance era suggested by making the woman's face barely even a part of the work of art.  Both of the eras disregard feminine expression, and replace it with a societal norm that has been formed at that time and place.  One is not better or worse than the other, because both eras were just different forms of hiding feminine expression.

In modern day America, the current fad is acceptance for women expression.  The trend currently is to allow women to reveal themselves more, and to value women who are proud of their bodies and who want to express themselves in less traditional ways.  It is easy to point out how much "better" it is for women today than it used to be, but it is difficult to tell whether this is an actual revelation, or rather just a trend that will inevitably pass.  There have been times in the past, in fact, that have shown similar acceptance to women and their bodies, but then time moves on and the trend turns over into a new trend, and all of a sudden it is outdated and inappropriate to dress in a more exposing way.  Our current-day acceptance in women's expression will eventually pass, and we will go back to a more conservative and judgmental lifestyle that will further limit women from expressing themselves how they want to.  Although it seems as if we as a society are being very progressive, it is naive to think that this is it for us.  This is not the be-all end-all of the lack of acceptance for women expression, this is simply a patch in time where exposure has become more common and perhaps even more valued than conservative dress and tendencies.  After all, our society often looks at women who reveal very little skin, and wear primarily conservative outfits as prudes, and we judge them for not joining the liberal bandwagon.  This is just another form of unacceptance of women expression.  It is not better at all, just a little bit different.  

Progression in women's acceptance does not exist.  It is not better in some times and place than others, because there is no better or worse; there is only different.  There are only trends and fads that sway women in one direction or the other.  Individuality does not exist harmoniously with self-expression, because no woman can ever fully present herself the way she wants to without influence or criticism.  Artistic eras have proven this by showing how ideal beauty has changed over the years on the surface, but the underlying message continues to be that women should not be able to express themselves how they see fit, without the influence of the rest of their society.  

