A picture’s worth a power shift

Last night I attended the opening of a long-time friend’s photo exhibition, a showing before her triumphant graduation. I’m happy to be present at any event that provides a complimentary glass of champagne upon arrival, and the bubbles were sipped as I strolled among promising photo exhibitions. I observed a series of portraits, not exceptional until I saw that they represented HIV positive individuals in the Netherlands. Another showed an extremely frail-looking woman lying in a hospital bed. I gazed at the tragic photograph and was stunned when I turned around and saw the same elderly woman in a wheelchair in front of me, well-dressed, hair perfectly coifed, beaming with her new-found fame (her granddaughter was the photographer).

But the exhibition I came to see was that of my friend V’s. Named “one night stands,” it featured a series of striking, scantily clad men, posed in their bedrooms; a come-hither look entrenched in their eyes. Have a look for yourself: The top seven photos in this gallery made up the exhibition.

Over the past few months I watched the idea for this project unfold. I listened to V. as she matter-of-factly discussed her idea, giggled over glasses of wine with her as we scouted out potential models, and watched as her calendar filled up with photo shoots. Then she disappeared for a few weeks, and suddenly the opening loomed.

For me, the photographs have fueled several discussions over traditional implications surrounding sexuality. These men are posed as docile and erotic beings, a status generally reserved for females. The photographs were taken in their own bedrooms, the very place that they normally sleep, relax, but also introduce to their conquests. But in this situation, V. holds the power. The men were invited to participate, asked to strip off their clothing and their confidence and gaze into the camera.

Conventionally, the term “one night stand” implies more conquest on the male side and more surrender on the female side. It goes back to the sexist notion that men can assert their power by having as much sex as they want, while if women do the same, they are considered to be sluts. V. challenges this notion to the core: She’s in charge; she’s calling the shots, demanding the pose, and displaying the results at a packed exhibition.

One of the models was at the opening. When I arrived, V. was up to her old tricks: She was photographing the uncomfortable yet proud young man in front of his portrait. And the story continues.