Study task 4

Commenting upon the revolution of feminist art, Cottingham suggests that an artist’s sex has a direct impact on the piece’s validity. “feminist art was commercially unacceptable because it’s practitioners were all women. Seventies feminist art aggravated too many common conceptions about art and life to even be looked at closely from a formal perspective”. (Cottingham 31)This therefore focusing upon feminism as purely an art movement and not the fight for something greater, for work equality between males and females. Embedding the feminist art movement as activation, not style. This quote also suggests that the large contextual presence behind the artist’s workings are invalid, as a result of the ideas not being from a male perspective. Artists such as Cynthia Maugham and Martha Rosler, were developing some of their best pieces within the 70’s, expressing formal, structural innovations, in which were ignored by large corporations as a result of sexual imbalance. The findings of Jaffe contradicting this within a modern age, suggesting that corporations now sell the idea of equality as a format of ‘empowerment’. “the fight for gender equality has transmogrified from a collective goal to a consumer brand.” (Jaffe) Jaffe hereby stating that the role of feminism within creative industries has now morphed into a capitalist injustice. When applying Cottingham’s workings to this modern age juxtaposition key underlying factors remain in which embed the underlying sexist nature of society. Rather than feminist art being used as a form of liberation, in which attempts to change the structures of a sexist society, sexism has now been manipulated in a way in which is for profit. Profit for the 81% of male creative directors in which manipulate feminist briefs for capital gain.

From this information it is clear that a mass change has developed during the fifty year period in which women have seeked equality, yet a clear manipulation is still being held within creative industries. Rather than liberating women the creative industries comply more strain upon females, in which is directed as a norm with trustworthy brands placing their names towards dangerous advertising campaigns. Although design is no longer consciously discriminated against over sex, factors in which Cottingham expressed still relate to the ways in which the creativity industry is formed today. Hierarchy of males expressed within the above text is further embedded by that of Think Progress who as a corporation suggest “Women experience internal promotion rates that are 34 to 47 percent lower than for men.”  ("Women With The Same Qualifications As Men Get Passed Over For Promotion")This information expressing a clear indication that although sexism in the art industry has changed, forms of sexual injustice still occur, with women appearing as the weaker sex.


Cottingham, Laura. Seeing Through The Seventies. 1st ed. Australia: G+B Arts International, 2000. Print.

Jaffe, Sarah. "Feminism For Sale". New Republic. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.

"Women With The Same Qualifications As Men Get Passed Over For Promotion". ThinkProgress. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.