Fourteenth International Conference on The Image

Abstract

The ‘normalizing’ effect that repeated exposure to image content produces on people has mainly been related to the dangers and cruel effects of dealing with images of suffering. Little attention has been paid to the enhancement of specific gendered and stylized practices of self-presentation among users of fashion images via emotional experience evoked by fashion images as a vehicle to keep up with appearances and produce identity. In this contribution, in order to shed light on the vital role of emotional arousal and emotion management in the process of self-presentation/beautification, I tackle the relationship between emotional experience and visual representations of femininity by using an interpretive approach which combines visual methodology and in-depth interviews.