Street Photography Weekly Assignment #9: “Sensuality/Sexuality” Winner

Photograph by Josefiel Rivera

I am excited that for this week’s winner for the “Sensuality/Seuxality” theme chosen by last week’s winner Timothy Cadman is Josefiel Rivera!

  • Definition of Sensuality (by the Merriam-Webster dictionary): The relating to or consisting in the gratification of the senses or the indulgence of appetite.
  • Definition of Sexuality (by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary): The quality or state of being sexual.

The reason I enjoyed Josefiel Rivera’s image the most because it has a great combination of surrealism as well as a social statement when it comes to sexuality. Below are some my thoughts of what I find fascinating about the image:

1. First of all, the woman’s face is covered by the TV broadcast camera/light – which makes me think how the media shows that women’s bodies are more important than their faces. It also gives the woman a sense of anonymity.

2. She is holding a card that says “best female” which to me signals how she is “auctioning off” her body for some beauty contest or “sexiest woman” contest. To me this is also quite sad, and reinforces this notion of how women are being sexualized in our society.

3. The tattoo of the lion on her right ribcage is also an interesting detail, as it suggests that she is fierce. Not only that, but having a tattoo on your ribcage is one of the most painful places to get it.

4. Lastly, the person sticking out their iPhone to take a photograph of her is trying to capture this woman (for who knows what purposes) and is covering up her groin area. At first glance it seemed to me as if he was literally taking a photo of her groin, which in-fact it appears he (I presume) is taking a photograph of the entire contestant.

We also had a lot of other great entries, see the runners-up below!

Runner-ups

Sensuality/Sexuality Weekly Assignment
Photograph by Joe Agguire
Sensuality/Sexuality Weekly Assignment
Photograph by Peter Silzer
Sensuality/Sexuality Weekly Assignment
Photograph by Rodi Kanjo
Sensuality/Sexuality Weekly Assignment
Photograph by Yaron Silberberg

Of course the weekly winner is based on my personal, subjective reasoning. Which image for this week’s theme is your personal favorite? Share your opinion in the comments below and let us know your thoughts!