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.  Photography is expected to be a more advanced form of art because it was developed in a more technologically apt society.  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.  An era is nothing more but a trend because we don't always build off of previous eras; sometimes we regress.  Women's desire to express themselves has remained constant throughout history, but the patriarchal acceptance of feminine expression has fluctuated, which leads to inevitable regression.  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, not because it immediately reminded me of feminism, but because of the layout - the positioning of the bodies and the lack of a face.  There is no face to observe, no expression to cling to or to indicate to the viewer how to feel about this particular work.  This picture almost seems as if the sculptured woman and the photographed woman exchange 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 the general public.  It is easy to tell that the sculptured woman 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.  It matters what she is wearing (or not wearing), but it does not matter what her face says about it.  The woman in the burka is forced to veil her expressions and emotions, and is thusly 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 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.  I felt at first 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.  Allowing women to express themselves just to ignore them is not better than the prevention of expression to begin with. The Renaissance era was wrongly considered more accepting because the societal norm was for women to show their faces.  However, the expressions on their 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, displays a side of honesty to cultural perception of women. 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 artwork. Both of the eras disregard feminine expression and instead substitute a societal norm that has been formed at that time and place.  One is not better or worse than the other, for 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 by their self-expression 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 decipher whether this is an actual revelation, or rather just a trend that will inevitably pass.  Previous cultures have shown similar acceptance to women and their bodies, but then time changes and cultures oscillate, 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 desire.  Although it seems as if society is progressing, there is still a lot of progress that needs to be made.  Modern day America does not represent the end to the oppression of feminine 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 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. 

