Personal photography/The body in photography

No unborn babies were harmed in the taking of these photographs!

Project Statement

I chose to explore things that some women do (and they shouldn't do) when they are pregnant.  I brainstormed about what women are not supposed to do when they are pregnant.  There are women that I know who smoke cigarettes, smoke marijuana, drink alcohol and lesser offenses to the pregnancy such as drinking coffee (I am guilty of this one).  I also am interested in the reactions that a photograph of a women lighting a joint would get.  I showed my sister-in-law, who is also pregnant, and she was appalled.  She knows that I do not do drugs or drink alcohol, but the sight of it even though they are just being acted out, she was not only offended, but also a little upset.  Specific ideas connected the body in photography is desire and disgust.  I used my body, my pregnancy, to put in front of people things that might make them uncomfortable if they were to see a pregnant women doing.  I know how I feel when I see pregnant women smoking or drinking and there is a certain amount of disgust.  Knowing the repercussions to her actions.  This idea of the disgust/desire part of body photography was almost inspiring to me.  Maybe by seeing these photographs, I can stop one women from doing things to harm her unborn child.  Nan Golden's personal photography was of specific interest to me.  She put herself in situations that were abusive, sexual and personal.  It is the in-your-face photography that interests me.  Nan Golden just told her story and it is hard to look at sometimes, but it is her reality.  The particular photography that inspired me is Nan Golden's Nan After Being Battered.  The feeling I get when I look at the photograph is not a good feeling.  But, it evokes a response in me and I can't look away.   I wanted to try to take photographs that would give others this "feeling".  I was immensely influenced by her in this project.