As a woman in my seventies, I've witnessed the rapid growth of an anti-ageing culture that constantly encourages women like me to be ashamed of our ageing bodies. This culture, heavily promoted in women's magazines and on social media, has escalated over the years, making it increasingly difficult for women to ignore as they age. By encouraging anti-ageing and a youth-focused culture, sexism and ageism against older women become more powerful.
In The Skin Care Photo Gallery, I use my ageing face to challenge this culture by taking a humorous and light-hearted approach to subverting the “claims” made by skin care product advertising. My focus, however, is not on the effectiveness of the products but on their role in supporting and enhancing a youth-focused and anti-ageing culture. For this reason, I see humour as a crucial element that not only draws attention to this absurd culture but also keeps the audience thoroughly entertained. I have cleverly subverted these claims by using Photoshop techniques, props, facial gestures, and even some of the ingredients listed in skin care products on my face. Each image is accompanied by text that enhances the dynamic of the work because each one relates to a claim made by skin care adverts.
Vicky Hodgson
Vicky Hodgson is a British photographer who brings a deeply personal perspective to her work. Referencing Jo Spence's photo theatre and other methodologies her work investigates the relationship between patriarchy, sexism and ageism and the stereotypical representation of the older female body. Her practice, which she describes as an activist voice, is a powerful tool in challenging the discrimination and social invisibility faced by older women. Her practice-based PhD, A Personal Performance of Ageing: Using Photography to Challenge the Social Construction of the Older Woman's Body, provides a rich theoretical context for her work, incorporating theories of ageing, sexism, power, and humour.
Vicky's journey in photography is a unique one, as she came to the art form later in life. Despite this late start, she earned a first-class BA (Hons) in Fine Art Photography in her fifties, an MA in Photographic Studies in her sixties, and a PhD in Fine Art Practice in her seventies. Her work has always been guided by a sense of fairness, particularly in addressing the injustice older women face, a theme that has consistently been the focus of her practice. Only recently has she incorporated her own face and body into her photographs.
Her recent exhibitions include her solo Viva exhibition Look at Me; 73 and Beautiful which was exhibited at the James Hockey Gallery, Farnham, April 2024. Other exhibitions include Budapest International Foto Awards 2024: Honourable Mention; the PH21 Gallery Budapest: Portraits Without Faces Exhibition 2024; RBSA Gallery Birmingham: Portrait Exhibition 2024; Lens Culture Portrait Awards 2024:Competion Gallery; Headstrong Women and Empowerment: The Centre for British Photography 2023; Tokyo International Foto Awards 2023: Honourable Mention; Gender and Gesture, International Photography Exhibition Woxen India: Competition Winner 2023.
www.vickyhodgson.com
@vickyhodgson1
