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A Compositional Analysis of Sexual Power and Degradation 

“Tentful of Marks” by Susan Meiselas, 1974 

Catherine Panetta and Ashlyn Murphy  

ENG 206 – Fall 2024  

 

Susan Meiselas forces us to accept “the sexual woman” as a symbol of power in her photograph “Tentful of Marks.” As it is a recurring theme in her work, Meiselas is able to capture the nuances of modern feminism through her often taboo photography. The point of power, where the women’s upper legs meet the top of the frame, flips the American narrative of masculine power on its head. Women’s liberation movements in the mid-1970s challenged traditional gender roles, sending the modern woman into full swing sexual empowerment and independence. Meiselas captures the newfound expectations and behaviors of women, which prior to the sexual revolution, were deemed vulgar. In this photograph, Meiselas sets out to display the slippery coexistence between the power in this shift, and also the vulnerability in it. Through vectors of attention, cropping, and perspective, she emphasizes the duality of power and objectification in contemporary feminism. 

The vectors of attention in a photograph include any markers or lines which direct the eye of the viewer to a particular point of the composition, referred to as the point of power. Because the point of power in this photograph is static, the viewer must refer to other parts of the composition to understand the context that gives both the woman and her sexuality power. The most prominent vector of attention is the line in between the woman’s legs, that leads directly out of frame, to her genitalia. It’s front and center. The audience can’t help but be drawn to this alluring line, and the men in the photo can’t either. Vectors of attention can also be visible sightlines of individuals in a photograph. Here, the men, or the subjects of her power, are intensely looking at the performer, drawing attention to the point of power: her body. Other existing vectors of attention in the photograph include the lines of the tent which point directly to her upper legs. They invite the audience’s eyes directly above the photograph, creating a sexual innuendo. This gives the woman power, but a twisted sense of it, as she’s also dehumanized by it.  

The cropping of the photograph intentionally degrades the woman, reducing her to only a pair of legs, a sex symbol.  Despite legs themselves not being inherently sexual, the cropping paired with the vectors of attention created by the lustful gazes around the woman create a sexual mood. Meiselas’ decision to crop out the upper half of the woman’s body leaves the viewer to assume the rest of her body is presented promiscuously, despite there being no evidence of it. Meiselas invites the audience to question why we perceive the woman as sexualized. Is it just because she holds a captive audience of men? A sexual context might be the only kind in which she could hold the attention of these men. So, while she has their attention, we are led to believe it comes at the cost of her humility. Once she enters the gaze of the men, she becomes an object of desire. Which is a powerful object, but an in-human one nonetheless.  

Also, the lack of a visible face establishes an objectifying ambiguity. The subject is stripped of a sense of self, (she could be any woman) therefore, she is every woman. The cropping serves not only as a tool to highlight objectification but also to apply the photograph to a wider audience.  

The perspective, the way Meiselas is positioned in relation to her subject, also plays a significant role in the woman’s power. The woman’s place on the stage, and her tall high heels, physically elevates her to a position of control by forcing the photographer and the audience to look up to her. She is the closest and largest subject in the frame. Meiselas has created a hierarchy of scale through her perspective. The largest figure being the point of focus (the woman’s legs) and the next most important figures following close behind her. Meiselas wants us to notice the legs first, then the largest man with a lustful expression, and finally, the group of men behind both of them. This order of scale is a physical manifestation of power, giving the woman most of it.  

Other features of this photograph, including timing of shutter release and lighting, undeniably reinforce the feeling of control emanating from the woman. Because the light source comes from behind the camera, the men’s faces and the woman’s legs are highlighted in contrast to the otherwise dark photograph. The lighting accentuates the reactions displayed on the men’s faces. The intense eye contact, open mouths, and positioning of the men’s bodies directly next to the stage manifest their sense of desire towards the woman. This lighting also contours the performer’s leg muscles, further emphasizing her position of strength and power.  

The timing that this photograph was taken is influential to the overall message. It captures the movement of the woman in a compositionally significant way, confidently strutting across the stage, her intense movements capturing the gazes of the men. At the moment this photograph was taken, the woman divides the audience into a singular man on the right, and the rest of the group on the left. The subject to the right is clearly captured; his face and movements visible and recognizable to the viewer. Contrastingly, the rest of the men to the left of the women are grouped together, to be viewed as one. This creates a parallel between the audience and the patriarchy; one individual man has the power to objectify a woman, while men as a population uphold and encourage this ability.   

The culmination of these elements in Meiselas’s photograph creates a narrative that critiques the complexities of contemporary feminism. Sexual empowerment of women, though not created with mal intent, can turn sour quickly in the presence of men. Something created for and by women, to lift them up, lifted them onto a stage of vulnerability. At first glance the performer seems to be empowered, displaying her sexuality as a means of profiting from America’s system of capitalism through sexual empowerment. Unfortunately, this power is undermined by the lustful gaze of men and the misogyny embedded in American society.  

 

Works Cited  

 

Meiselas, Susan. Tentful of Marks. 1974, The Museum of Modern Art, New York. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/177663?