Cykl „Untitled Film Stills” – fotograficzny indeks kobiecych (stereo)typów Cindy Sherman

This article discusses female stereo(types) functioning in culture and social awareness. It analyses Cindy Sherman’s series of photographs, highlighting film as one of its sources. Hollywood productions did not only create but also consolidated several female images whose network of beliefs, views, and fantasies about women continues until today. Exploring the female types generated by cinema, the artist changes her outfits-costumes, hairstyles, make-up, and set design not only to present the multitude of the types but also to encourage self-reflection. Another important aspect of the article is identity. Using Untitled Film Stills to provide context, the author of the text analyses the complexity and amalgamation of female identity based as much on women’s own choices as on what seems personal but is in fact effected by visual culture. This leads the author to the discussion of stereotypes embedded in our awareness through which we are able to recognise what the photographs communicate. The same stereotypes also format our perception of reality, distorting and inhibiting our processes of learning and reflection. The point of both Sherman’s series and this article is to expose these stereotypes and activate our defence mechanisms to negate them.