This article discusses female stereo(types) functioning in culture and social awareness. It analyses Cindy Sherman’s series of photographs, highlighting film as one of its sources. Hollywood productions did not only create but also consolidated several female images whose network of beliefs, views, and fantasies about women continues until today. Exploring the female types generated by cinema, the artist changes her outfits-costumes, hairstyles, make-up, and set design not only to present the multitude of the types but also to encourage self-reflection. Another important aspect of the article is identity. Using Untitled Film Stills to provide context, the author of the text analyses the complexity and amalgamation of female identity based as much on women’s own choices as on what seems personal but is in fact effected by visual culture. This leads the author to the discussion of stereotypes embedded in our awareness through which we are able to recognise what the photographs communicate. The same stereotypes also format our perception of reality, distorting and inhibiting our processes of learning and reflection. The point of both Sherman’s series and this article is to expose these stereotypes and activate our defence mechanisms to negate them.
The author analyses personal ads, including offers of marriage, published in Fortuna Versal during the Great Depression. The magazine proves to be a particular source of knowledge about average people whose everyday life changed dramatically in that period and who sometimes made desperate attempts to improve their situation. Not much is known about Fortuna Versal itself. According to its editorial note, it was published in Poland, the United States and France, and was distributed by bookshops, newsstands, etc. It published personal ads of both men and women. This article focuses on the former who, as it turns out, were often interested in finding not so much love but a solution to their economic and housing problems. The content of these short texts was dictated by the intentions and needs of their authors, reflecting their male self-image. It was influenced by the economic recession that also affected Poles, causing unemployment and radical decline in quality of life. Analysing the content and phrasing used, the article emphasises the unique character of the ads. They are a true product of their economic and financial times, where romanticism gives way to pragmatism, cold calculation and a strong need to improve one’s standard of living. Men adopt a practical approach towards themselves, their potential partner/spouse and living together. Those interested in marriage, or rather benefits related to it, employ a number of strategies. Most of them are direct, clearly stating that they need cash to start a business, buy a car or pay for a trip to Africa. Some men resort to writing sentimental and heart-breaking stories from their lives, hoping to find a well-off woman who could give them financial stability. However, those that look like typical ‘buy and sell’ ads seem to prevail.
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