We All Follow Stereotypes by Nariman Ansari (June 29, 2010) 
(47 votes, average: 3.40 out of 5)
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Categories / Conceptual Photography / Self Portraits / / Click here to open comments section, click again when done to close / 1 Comment
Introduction by Yumi Goto
Seven female photographers living and working in their own places, covering issues affecting their people, cultures, politics and dreams. These are seven female photographers whose work I keep my eyes on. Not only they are women, but they are working in their own space, trying to reach out, trying to raise awareness and interest outside of their community or country. Through the lens, they expose what they witness and share with the subject what they feel. Often their countries’ issues are misinterpreted or exaggerated by foreign media, journalists and photographers. These women are from Nepal, Iraq/Kurdistan, the Philippines, Palestine, Pakistan, India and Indonesia—all culturally difficult areas in which to live and work, for women and photographers.
Yumi Goto is an art and photo documentary project coordinator and curator. Her work has focused on the development of cultural exchanges that transcend borders through collaboration with local artists and NGOs in areas affected by conflict. Goto has worked as the project manager and research/development director on numerous documentary photography projects about social issues in Asia including HIV/AIDS in Cambodia, human rights in Aceh and refugee issues. She has produced the documentary slideshow presentations and exhibitions that NGOs widely use as direct advocacy tools throughout the region and in Japan.
Next / A Place Where You Can’t Say No / Previous / Perhaps Our Daily Lives Are All Absurd /
Our poll "A photo essay always needs a great written story" closed. 267 people voted, 28% agrees, 72% disagrees. 233 people answered our follow-up question "Are you a photographer?" 82% indicated they are, 18% said no. Initially, negative answers to question #1 were almost 100% as was the pecentage of photographers among respondants. Then, when the level of non-photographers started to rise, the percentage of people indicating good text is always essential started to rise too. This seems to indicate that non-photographers think that adding good text to your photo essays is essential. In my opinion: if you want non-photographers to dig your work, you know what to do...
In a country like Pakistan, one has to deal with many levels of reality all the time. Your reality is not the same as the reality of your house maid. Your house maid’s reality is not the same as that of the beggar outside your car window. And these realities keep crossing over each day. The maid comes to your house, cleans your home according to your standards of what cleanliness is, and goes home to live in a one-room apartment where the bathroom is a blackened floor toilet and a family of ten sleep together. I have always wondered who I would be if I was born somewhere else. How would I perceive the world and how would it perceive me differently?
This project is also about cultural stereotypes. The way that we ‘read’ and profile each other in society. How the media and society view women in Pakistan. It is almost an anthropological study of the clichés and science involved; using myself as the constant, I wanted to explore the code that goes into creating a stereotype. What do these women say about where they come from? Who is the Pakistani woman? And which stereotype am I?
As hard as we try to be individualistic and defend our originality and identities, we all follow stereotypes. In our search for acceptance, we follow the codes and rules of our immediate realities to conform even when we are trying to be non-conformists. These are certainly not all the stereotypes of women in Pakistan, simply a starting point for thought.
Nariman Ansari (1979) lives and works in Karachi, Pakistan.
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by margootje, Yumi Goto. Yumi Goto said: My @Bite_magazine week of 7 women photographers now features Nariman Ansari, Day 4 "We All Follow Stereotypes" http://bit.ly/cxTVJI [...]