Pin-Up Calendar 2010
What's Wrong With Us?
Pin-Up Calendar 2010
I created this calendar, free from ideals of stereotypes and manipulation, to collect money to UNICEF's work against one of the worlds most objectifying industry - human trafficking.
- Ida Larsson, Photographer
Donation To UNICEF's Work
Against Human Trafficking
Huge Thank You To My
Sponsors
Whom without this project never would have become reality.
Your kind donations covered the printing cost and maximised the donations to Unicef.
About
The Project
The project Pin-Up Calendar 2010, was my final project during my last year in upper secondary school at LBS (Audio Video School)
For me, it has always felt wrong to dress up and make kids look like adults, to let anorexic models stand and pose with the latest lingerie in commercials that scream; this is how you should look.
Doesn't it send the wrong signals? I wonder how the photographers think when they manipulate and edit already beautiful models to look like dolls. Do they not see the consequences? Are not the messages then quite clear?
What we, the people, constantly encounter from the media, wherever we are, in the city, on the bus, in front of the TV, at school or at work, is nothing but a powerful kick in the stomach. We are simply not good enough as we are. We are all affected by these stereotypical images that we are constantly fed with, whether we are aware of it or not. Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia creep further and further down the ages each year, among both sexes.
Through my project I want to show, not only those who buy calendars with naked girls, but also everyone else, that female bodies do not have to be stereotyped and manipulated to be appealing and attractive. I want to make people aware of how stereotypes impose negative ideals further and further down in the ages.
In my calendar, I give my buyers both natural models and the chance to contribute money for the work against a terrible business idea that prevails in large parts of the world. Unicef is in constant need of the care and contribution of the outside world. I know that the money would come in handy for them, therefore it was an obvious choice that I would donate the proceeds to them.
“It is estimated that criminal groups earn $ 7 billion
(just over SEK 51 billion)
per year from human trafficking.”
“Human Trafficking is the second fastest growing criminal activity
in the world.”
“Virtually all countries in the world are involved in trafficking.”
“A 17-year-old girl was forced to receive up to 25 sex buyers a day, seven days a week – in Sweden.“
“The export of Russian women goes to all corners of the world”
“Human trafficking is today’s variant of the slave trade.”
“In sweden, there have been cases where women have been drugged and raped in front of the camera by men. Films and photographs have been saved and then used as extortion to force the woman to prostitute herself.”
A Huge
THANK YOU!
I would like to thank the following people:
All models, because they lined up for the cause.
Martin Knutsson for help with the design of the questionnaire for the market research and the design of the calendar.
Björn Jakobsson who made the publication of my calendar possible.
A special thank you to Sabine Kohn and Magnus Persson, for their encouraging and committed guidance in this project work.
And a big thank you to all of you who have somehow helped me during this year long project!
But most of all, thanks to you who bought a copy.
So once again; Thank you very much for your contribution, your gift is invaluable.
Pin-Up Calendar 2010
The Project Process
I spent the first 6 month researching gender, stereotypes and the use of photo manipulation in the media.
The Project
The Research
Fanny Engströmer Nilsson and Anna Lindbäck University Essay "Gender - a mediated construction" (The faculty of Economy, communication and IT at Karlstads University) lay the ground for my own research.
The Project
The Survey
I had men from all age groups and backgrounds fill in the survey about:
- If there ver owned a naked girl calendar
- If so how and where they got it from
- If they would consider exchanging the traditional calendar for a calendar where the models hadn't been retouched and manipulated
- What they liked about the images and the girls in a traditional calendar
- If they where aware of how much manipulation where done to that kind of images
- If knowing it would change their vision on women and if so how
- What it is with a traditional calendar that makes them like them.
- How much they would be willing to pay for one
- If knowing that the proceeds went to charity would make them more prone to buy it
Conclusion:
Based on the information I gathered I then had a solid foundation of information telling me:
- If it was worth me doing the calendar in the first place
- What I needed to focus on in my images to make them appealing to the buyer
The Project
Final Report
My final report ended up being shy of 14 000 words spread over 38 pages.
Interested in reading it?
(Report is in Swedish but can be translated into English via google translate with a fairly accurate result)
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