Photo Credit: Nina Berman
Recently, Bryan Formhals pleaded for photographers to write more; Joerg repeated the call.
Nina Berman, a very intelligent photographer, is also a fierce writer with undeviating message. On the 6th May, Berman wrote this:
“The Taliban stone women, we act outraged, spend billions trying to destroy them. And here in the land of the free? We dress girls up, shove shit in their mouths, make them plead for more, smile while they’re being tortured, gang bang them with multiple partners in multiple entry points, infect them, drug them, then dress them up with fake tits and travel them on the convention (prostitution) circuit. Annual US sales $10 billion. Worldwide porn industry sales are more than Apple, Google, Amazon and Microsoft combined.”
Prison Photography 
4 comments
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May 11, 2011 at 5:31 pm
Tony Fouhse
Lord knows I rant enough about this (writing, not just posting your latest fotos) on my blog. But I’ve come to the conclusion that many (most?) photographers don’t really have much to say, either in their images or in their writing, if they ever get around to writing. I think that if you really have something to say, you’ll say it, one way or another.
May 11, 2011 at 5:53 pm
Zarina Holmes
Berman has got a point. When I was tiny girl (the mid-late 70s), my doll was a silly looking plastic with baby face, short legs and pot belly – with no womanly curves like Barbie. So there was less pressure for girls then, I think, to fit into this crazy ideal of ‘beauty’.
It’s not so easy today. I know because I work in fashion sometimes, and I see nice young girls getting upset for not looking like a Photoshopped model. Fact: Models in magazines are always Photoshopped, on top of professional make-ups administered to allude perfection. I think this is fine as long as you are aware it’s only a performance. Sadly most girls/women think this is reality.
I agree with Berman comment on porn industry. Women in the West is not much freer than our counterparts in Middle East, Central Asia etc if you think about it.
I cannot help but see Bibi Aisha photo by Jodi Bieber in a cynical light sometimes. Over there in Afghanistan, abusive husbands multilate wives to punish them for standing up for themselves. Over here in the West, women mutilate themselves via plastic surgery etc. to feel great about themselves.
May 11, 2011 at 5:58 pm
petebrook
Tony. I’m not sure I am totally on board with your bleak view. I’m shy to use the words most or many, but I think you, Bryan and I can agree that writing as with every other mode of expression should be given some serious effort by some photographers: they might just surprise themselves with how they can connect with an audience with the same ideas but by a different vehicle. Likewise, writers should try photography and interpretative dance and synth-krunk rap music too.
May 11, 2011 at 6:03 pm
petebrook
Zarina. Exactly. There’s no parallels to be drawn between the mores and attitudes of society in America and Taliban-ruled regions in Afghanistan, except to say that culturally both are, in their own ways, permissive to behaviours that are extremely damaging to women.