Taking Control of the Narrative In The Era of Media Bias
Female Photographers in 80s Britain
Litsperation: Women in revolt! : art and activism in the uk, 1970-90
Currently at the Tate Britain there is an exhibition to see 80s Photography and if you're in London between the now and the 5th of May 2025 I implore you to take a visit and see it for yourself! I found myself smiling at points and holding back tears at other points. What stood out to me was the sincerity of the photographs, they didn't feel pretentious or overly curated. They felt in a word, truthful. The great thing about photography is its ability to capture moments in time as an indisputable reality, but what happens when your reality differs from mass perception?
1980s Britain and Its Media
The British media in the 80s was both racist and sexist, today we’ll be focused on the sexist elements of the media at the time but you’ll notice for women of colour these two cannot be separated in discussion - more on that later.
1980s Britain
Before we jump right in lets take a look at our surroundings for a second. You are now a woman living in Maggie’s austere Britain, you have only just been allowed to open a bank account without your father or husband. The war finished around 40 years prior, and the current cost of living is at a record high. Industrial jobs are gone and the job centre has never seen more applications. You have a job and bring in income to provide for your family but everyone calls it a ‘second income’ as if your family could survive without it. Women are getting more educated, men feel inferior due to high unemployment rates and they start to blame this on the rise of gender equality. Great, you’re up to speed!
The British Media
Most reporters in Britain at the time were from non-minority backgrounds and these backgrounds have their own biases that persist in the media and shape the thinking of people around them and the conversations that are being had.
‘The subtlest and most pervasive of all influences are those which create and maintain the repertory of stereotypes. We imagine most things before we experience them. And those perceptions, unless education has made us acutely aware, govern deeply the whole process of perception.’ - Walter Lippmann (1922)
The stereotypes attributed to women included being caretakers of the home, and being sexual objects to fulfil the desire of their male counterparts. I know you have heard all of this before and sexism still persists today but we can use this to look at the artwork that is created in such an environment. In an environment when the media had full control of our perception of reality and there wasn’t platforms to share our perspectives on. Looking at how these photographers rebelled against an industry that depended and still depends on the oppression of women and the repression of their truth.
In a time when the Guardian printed ‘the new ideal woman is white, confident and partnered’ without repercussion, women’s photography acts as a form of relief from the misogynistic narrative that still persists today. Not only is the media’s ideal woman white but she must also be confident amongst the many insecurities being manufactured around her appearance. If that was not enough she must also be partnered because what is a woman without her spouse? In times of when the weight of traditionalism is overbearing we turn to art to seek refuge in other people’s self-expression, that allows to take a glimpse outside of the box the world puts us in and explore different parts of oneself. This brave representation of self is what shines through the work of the following photographers.
Photographers To Know
Maud Sulter
Mostly known for her photography and poetry, Sutler was a visual artist some of her work like the one above challenged suffocating notions of beauty in Britain at the time.
Roshini Kempado
I’m obsessed with ‘impressions passing’ which is a collection of self portraits of Kempado that allow us to see how she feels about various subjects. I think that self portraits in particular are powerful as you are both artist and muse, with the ability to fully control the narrative being portrayed.
Jane Bown
Jane Brown really took pictures of whatever she wanted and I love it!
Books Referenced
Women in revolt! : art and activism in the uk, 1970-90
Race, Myth and the News - Christopher P. Campbell
Black Journalists, White Media - Beulah Ainley
Jane Bown: A Lifetime of Looking - Luke Dodd
Decolonising the Camera: Photography in Racial Times - Mark Sealy
Its 23:17 on Tuesday! So what I’m hearing is that I posted on Tuesday, and that’s what matters!
Enjoy the rest of your week I’m going to sleep!! See you next week for a post on American Modernism!!