International Women's Day: Hidden women at Manchester Art Gallery

Lately I've been spending one dinner break per week visiting Manchester Art Gallery. As someone who works in the city centre, I must say it is a tonic to step away from the traffic and hubbub and be able to stare some of my favourite art works in the face. I feel a thrill to see the brush strokes, signatures and dates that the artists inscribed sometimes centuries ago. It helps me to stay connected to the things that make me tick.

I find that having a limited amount of time per visit makes me look all the more intently at any art work that catches my attention and I have been pleasantly surprised to discover some interesting paintings by women artists that I'd never seen before. Here are some of my recent discoveries, well worth the visit if you wish to go searching for them, like an historic version of hide and seek!

Lady (Laura) Alma Tadema - Sweet Industry 1904

Snuggled in amongst the smaller paintings that line the stairwell of the the gallery's main entrance hall, this image jumped out at me. If I'm honest, a lot (but certainly not all) of the paintings on the stairwell are pretty ropey. Grandiose and poorly executed, many of these small paintings, I feel, are there to fill space rather than because they are of great artistic merit. Yet this unassuming piece really stands out. Bright and clear and perfect it has the tactile quality of a Faberge egg, jewel like and dainty.

This quiet painting draws the viewer into the intimate scene. It doesn't try to make a big statement but still impresses with it's technical ability and well thought out composition. I particularly like the slightly blurred cushion in the foreground and found myself staring intently at it and it's purpose in the composition. It's a very accomplished piece.

Lady Alma Tadema was the wife of her more famous and successful artist husband Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema. His works also have that effortless crystal like sheen that made his lounging ladies of ancient Greece seem so near and appealing. (A side note, one of Tadema's contemporaries John William Godward whose work was very similar also lines the stairwell). Yet Lady Tadema, specialised in domestic scenes set in the 16th Century akin to the themes of Vemeer, who she admired.

Elizabeth Southerden Thompson Butler - Balaclava 1876

This large canvas hangs near a door of one of the Victorian galleries in the original part of the building. I've walked past it so many times and never really looked at it until recently. War, has never held much fascination for me, but the film like quality of this painting caught my eye one lunch time. I spent a long time taking in each figure as the narrative unfolded. These men were the survivors of the doomed Charge of the Light Brigade, the famed attack against Russian Forces that, thanks to a miscommunication in command, sent them into head on fire and inevitable decimation.

All the figures were painted from models as Butler was never near the battle to witness it for herself, but she used the first hand accounts of soldiers who had survived to get across the action and emotion in the scene. The central figure staring with a shell shocked expression out at the viewer was posed by an actor who had actually fought at Balaclava. 

It's admirable that the artist chose to focus on the mental state of the men rather than a sense of misplaced glory. We see injured and dead soldiers and terrified horses, blood and distress. It only occurs to me now how on point this painting is regarding recent news. Although from another era and fought for another reason, it highlights how devastaing conflict is, and how wasteful.

Bulter concentrated on military paintings througout her career and became extremely successful in her field. She tapped into a sense of national patriotism but stated, '‘I never painted for the glory of war, but to portray its pathos and heroism’.

Annie Swynnerton - Illusions 1902

Lastly, this strange yet evocative painting stood out to me. Painted by Annie Swynnerton whose work I have seen before when Manchester Art Gallery held an exhibition showcasing her career back in 2018, I had yet to notice this piece hanging in a corner of the same gallery as Balaclava.

It's an odd image, a little girl with strikingly blue eyes wearing a suit of armour in a woods. What can it mean, especially with the title Illusions? Things become a little clearer when we delve into Swynnerton's life.

A staunch advocate of women's rights, the artist was a founding member of Manchester's Society of Women Painters  and aligned herself with the Suffragette movement. In 1922 she was the first elected female member of the Royal Academy of Arts (shockingly late in the scheme of things) and became known internationally for her inventive and bold painting style.

The armour worn by the little girl in 'Illusions' could well represent strength when put into the political framing of women's rights, but I can't help feeling it is also a symbol of protection too. For this little girl, the world was still going to be a difficult place for a woman to gain a sense of freedom or equality. Like many women today, she will have to face challenges while trying to acheive her ambitions in a male focused society. Perhaps the armour worn so comfortably here represents the beginning of a growing confidence brought on by the continuing efforts of women's movements and the small shifts in the right direction that have paved the way for future generations.

International Women's Day: the Helen Gurley Brown effect

It's International Women's Day this week (March 8th) and I thought I'd mark the occasion by commemorating a woman who changed modern culture. You may or may not have heard of Helen Gurley Brown, but her impact on Western women's attitudes to sex, careers and relationships is immeasurable. She helped create a change in women's lives for the better which led to lifestyles many of us can now take for granted.

To fully understand Brown's effect on modern culture you must first try to imagine how life was for women up to the early 1960's. This was a time before the feminist movement had taken hold and women in the UK had only gained the right to vote a few decades earlier. Life for many women was expected to follow a particular and limited course; marry in her early twenties (or late teens) and begin a family which she would then dedicate her entire existence to. Being a wife and mother were a woman's main duties. To somehow avert these fates was often seen as failure or a waste or to be pitied.

However by the early 1960's strict social attitudes towards gender were beginning to broaden. The Kinsey Report of Sexual Behavior in the Human Female from 1953 had already caused ripples of shock by just talking about women's sex lives beyond marriage, a thing never before done on a public scale. While the new phenomena that was Playboy Magazine, championed the idea that women enjoyed sex as much as men, again unheard of in a world that valued women's virginal (unmarried|) or maternal (married) state but never the idea of her actually having sex outside of these two polar ideals. Women who had sex for anything but procreation were still generally seen as fast, loose and social pariahs. To confuse the status quo even more, a new method of contraception was introduced with the coming of the 60's and 'the pill' offered a new sense of freedom for women wishing to avoid pregnancy.

When thinking of the figureheads of the feminist movement which naturally evolved alongside and aided by these cultural shifts, it's easy to think of influential women like Gloria Steinem or Betty Freidan whose journalistic and literary works stand out as seriously empowering women's voices. Yet another woman was making her mark in an altogether different way with no less impact. 

 

Helen Gurley Brown caused an international sensation when she released her book 'Sex and the Single Girl' in 1962. This highly accessible book was written in the style of one girlfriend talking to another. It did away with the cold sterile scientific language of earlier books on the subject of S.E.X and introduced the idea that women not only had sex outside of marriage but they enjoyed it and actively went in search of it. Brown, by then a married woman herself had done the unthinkable and published a book detailing her own (mis)adventures as a single woman spanning almost 20 years and over 100 lovers.
 

 The fallout from this was huge. Overnight Helen Gurley Brown became a household name for all the wrong reasons. She became 'that woman'. It's fun to witness Brown's guest slots on a myriad of TV and radio shows during the 60's (you can find many on youtube). Always introduced as 'the author of 'Sex and the Single Girl'' her shameful notoriety went before her and audiences were deliciously shocked by her unique opinions. On one of her many appearances on the chain smoking confrontational host Joe Pyne's show she was called a 'terrible woman' for writing about how to have affairs with married men. Yet despite the public's moral outrage Brown never became flustered during these PR outings and kept her feminine charming composure at all times. 

In fact the HGB brand was a big seller all round. Her debut book inspired a film of the same name starring Natalie Wood and spawned book sequels, 'Sex and the Office' and the 'Outrageous Opinions of Helen Gurley Brown'. It's important to note that in tandem to Brown's ideas about sex she talked about her career and in turn the notion of women like herself, working and succeeding in the work place. When 'Sex and the Single Girl' was published HGB was one of the USA's highest paid advert copywriters, and she'd worked her way up there from nothing. This was in an era when women's roles were still very marginalised for the majority, and women with a career beyond their families were virtually non existent.

It was while touting a new idea for a magazine aimed at the HGB audience that Hearst Publishing decided to give Brown the opportunity that led to her second life changing career move. Rather than risk a whole lot of money on a new publication that might not take off, in 1965 Hearst gave her the role of editor in chief for their then floundering magazine, Cosmopolitan. The rest as they say is history.

Brown took the safe women's journal that up to that time had spoken about how to be the best housewife with quaint little tips for cooking and home making and replaced it with the HGB vision. She wanted to talk to women who had lived like her, working hard to make their own way whilst making their own decisions regarding relationships. She made it normal for women to talk about sex and own their sexuality. Yes, these women still wanted to get married and still wanted children (it was still the 60's after all) but they had interests that also reached beyond these traditional values. Cosmopolitan now ran articles like 'Why can't a woman be like a man?' and 'Is there life after marriage?'. In 1966 one issue ran with the spookily prophetic 'Dating by computer. Actual experiences of four career girls'

Helen Gurley Brown revolutionised the women's magazine industry making Cosmopolitan the most successful of it's kind, so popular it branched out into Europe and countries like Russia that were way behind in the sexual cultural shift. There is no doubt Brown's input helped to open the eyes of millions of women around the globe encouraging them to see beyond the narrow options that were laid out for them.

Despite her reach and obvious impact Brown was never fully accepted by the feminist cause. She was (and debatably still is) snubbed and sometimes ridiculed by the feminists of the day for her too feminine and literally 'girly' outlook. Perhaps because as she was telling women they could be sexual and successful she was also telling them to be beautiful and liked.

The HGB brand can certainly be criticised for promoting unrealistic ideals of beauty by creating the 'Cosmopolitan Girl' who graced each cover with her huge hair and perky cleavage. Brown cashed in on the ideal of a girl who not only lives life to the full but looks like a model while doing it. The thing is, the ideal sold.

While we can see the symbiotic impact that women's magazines still hold today, on one hand telling women they are empowered and on the other insinuating they aren't pretty or thin enough (that is a whole other blog post!), it's impossible to not give Helen Gurley Brown her due in changing women's attitudes to sex and working life for the better. If she hadn't been the first to take the idea and run with it we might never have seen other women embrace their potential and break down similar barriers.

In popular culture we might never have had Alexis Colby throwing her weight around in Dynasty, or Carrie Bradshaw and her friends exploring Sex and the City or in turn the likes of Lena Dunham writing and starring in Girls. Each incarnation is a product of it's time and open to comment but each also is a powerful platform talking about sex and success to women, and that would never have happened without HGB's influence.

Cosmo gently let Brown 'retire' from the editor in chief post after 32 years at the helm. Instead she took the title of International Editor for all 59 international editions of the magazine whilst in her 70's. She died aged 90 in 2012 leaving a lasting legacy. If you buy an issue of Cosmo, to this day on the staff listings page, you will find the words 'Editor in chief, Cosmopolitan (1965-1997) Helen Gurley Brown.

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I purposely haven't mentioned anything about Brown's personal background, her difficult family situation, small town upbringing or the many jobs and love affairs she had while struggling to manage her life. She was obsessed with her weight (while being stacked like a rake), a huge fan of plastic surgery and a workaholic. She was a very eccentric woman, definitely flawed but fascinating and highly influential. To find out more I'd recommend the book Not Pretty Enough: The Unlikely Triumph of Helen Gurley Brown by Gerri Hirshey and also the many videos which can be found on youtube which cover her rise to celebrity in the 1960's through to her old age in the 2010's. She made many guest appearances on TV shows both trivial and intellectual but her message is consistently clear and delivered with a beguiling shake of the head and a smile, it's hard not to become seduced by her.

Inspirational women for International Womens Day

I just realised that my last post for International Women's Day didn't really celebrate any women, so I'm going to remedy this right now by listing some of the women whose ethos and personalities inspire me:

Joan Collins: I love a lady who knows what she likes. Joan has strong opinions and isn't afraid to air them. Plus she's ultra glamorous, I really admire her for never being anything less than 100% immaculate. 'How you look is a reflection of how you feel about yourself, and I feel very happy with myself'

Joan Crawford: Simply because she never thought of herself as anything else but a star! 'I feel I owe it to my public always to look good. When you're young, you can get away with the careless, ungroomed look. But not to bother with grooming over the age of 40 is a mistake.'  
  

My bellydance teacher, Pat: This lady is in her seventies, she looks about 15 years younger, and has moves women 50 years her junior would love to have! She's a great teacher and has great energy. 'Keep thinking those happy thoughts!'

 Kylie Minogue: She's classy, talented and innovative, a true creative and natural born performer. She always makes me feel good! 'I think if you're not being inspired by the things around you now, not aware of whats been before and what's coming up, isn't that called dead?'

Elizabeth the First: An amazing woman who survived and thrived in a mans world despite the numerous plots against her and calls for her to marry. She made England great and her rule was known as the Golden Age. 'I would rather go to any extreme than suffer anything that is unworthy of my reputation, or of that of my crown'

My Mum: For always supporting my artwork and for telling me ever since I can remember that, 'You can achieve anything if you put your mind to it' .

There are so many amazing and inspirational women out there, and I've only named a few from a very small clutch of my many favourites. I hope there are inspirational women in your life!

Gemma*** 

The things Carrie left behind

Hey Guys!

As this week hosts International Women's Day I thought I'd talk about something women's TV and films ; The other day I finished watching the entire box set of Sex and the City. I've always enjoyed this show, but at the same time it's recently begun to make me feel frustrated! This is something I've only come to notice as I've got older.

Now, just like Carrie, looking thoughtfully into the distance I poise above my keyboard and ask, 'Why do women like Sex and the City?'

Lets forget the film and the dreadful sequel for a moment and focus on the TV show.

Sex and the City's huge selling point when it burst onto the scene was that it gave women the platform to talk about sex freely. It became a landmark in the evolution of female representation in the western world. It focused on the lives of successful fashionable exciting women and taught more about shoes than any other show I can think of!

The show was new and fresh and told us it was ok to be single, and having a career, or a family or both was fine. It celebrated self expression and took pride in looking good for yourself.

The show still has an appealing sophisticated clever and polished feel to it even 10 years after the last episode was aired. I for one love the quirky fashions, and the funny one liners (Samantha being my personal favourite character).
There are also undeniable touching moments amongst the female characters which get to me every time and I find myself getting a bit glassy eyed.

But there's something else that's been getting to me too, and recently ran parallel with all of the above. A little feeling of unease.

Why had I never noticed before that these fabulous independent women were utterly fixated with men? Almost every conversation was about them. I know there's a clue in the title of the show but somehow that doesn't excuse it for me.

Is this really how women speak to one another? Do we not have ambitions or interests outside of our relationships? I certainly would get tired pretty quickly of a highly neurotic friend who over analysed her every fling. (I know there are some women out there like this, but mercifully I don't know them).  
Maybe the biggest bugbear I have is that this show about women, for women was written by a man, yet women craved every word he wrote. With not much else on offer aimed solely at females, were we being spoon fed a male ideal of what modern women were supposed to be like?

Now in an age where feminism is gaining strength and exposure once again, and we are encouraged not to marginalize our outlook, why does entertainment tailored to women still mainly talk about romance and relationships? Sex and the City was at the beginning of this revolution, but did it backfire?

There seems to be a duel thing going on here; Whilst on one hand women do enjoy fashion, love and friendship, which is absolutely fine, there should be more than that on offer to us in the media, because according to one of the most powerful sources of influence in the modern world, that is all we want.

Recent 'chick flicks' (a term I detest, almost as much as the genre itself) have tried to redefine women's as 'just as funny as men', which in itself is patronising. 'Bridesmaids' for instance brought forth gross out humour proving women can be 'just as disgusting as men', but the core of its story was ultimately about a women finding a man and having a relationship. It just did nothing for me.

It seems most female roles in films are marginalised to fit a pattern. She's either after a man, in need of saving by a man, or has her character reduced as the male lead takes the reins. 

There is a real lack of female driven stories out there that talk about adventure, discovery or achievements, when half the planet is populated women, many of whom are outstanding, clever and inspiring.

So whilst I still appreciate Sex and the City as an important and fun step for women, championing successful career females and empowering us to talk about sex and experience sex in new ways, it's legacy hasn't opened up any new doors for general female entertainment. The opportunities it pointed to haven't really lead our films and TV shows anywhere beyond the shoe shop or the home.
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Ok so on the back of this post I have thought of a couple of recent films and TV shows that do represent women a bit more favourably. Although not aimed solely at women these examples do at least expand our horizons a bit, see what you think:

Sandra Bullock as the female lead in non rom com Gravity
The female directors of The Walking Dead TV show
Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady
 Jane Goldman's screenplay for Kick Ass
Brave

If you can think of anymore examples I'd love to know!


Happy International Women's Day

Gemma***