Kamie Crawford and Nicholas Ferroni are activists that have made a bold and compelling statement on modern sexism. They used their photography campaign, which reimagined sexist 1950s adverts, to advocate against sex-based discrimination.
Both creators realized that there is a very real and serious problem with sexism today. Crawford is a TV personality and Ferroni is a high school teacher. Working together in this campaign, they stood up for women and brought attention to the issues the modern woman faces daily.
Christopher Horne shot photographs of Crawford and Ferroni posing in opposite gender roles from 1950s magazine adverts. Ferroni would take the original woman’s place and every time the advertisement said “wife,” it was changed to “husband.”
In an article written about the campaign, Ferroni stated, “These ads are not intended to demean men, but to just put things in historical context by showing the polar opposite.” He adds that the original versions were in print not very long ago.
Ferroni also uses his profession to relate to the issues that we see today. “As a history teacher, I can honestly say that history continues to repeat itself. With the current political climate, it seemed very relevant that sexism is very alive and even proudly accepted.”
This year has especially demonstrated the tensions that politics can have on a larger society. This has been evident with issues of inequality for gender, race, age and countless other factors.
Crawford also shared her thoughts on the campaign, “I think that reversing the roles and really empathizing with how it feels to walk in another person’s shoes is the best way to have a true understanding of one another as people.”
This photo campaign certainly changes the perspective that one might have when looking at these old advertisements that were acceptable in the 1950s. It is astonishing to see how absurd and sexist they were, yet how relevant they still are today.
Crawford and Ferroni’s efforts to bring attention to sexism that we see today was successful. Their campaign allows the viewer to stop and think twice about our society when it comes to gender equality.
“There are still men out there who think these ads are still OK,” said Ferroni. “We still live in a society where misogyny and sexism are very apparent.”
By creating this campaign, they are combating sexism in a creative and eye-opening way.
It’s helpful to see individuals taking their activism one step further and demonstrating such dedication to make a change in the way that the world works and treats each other. Crawford and Ferroni are both setting a great example to acknowledge the problem of sexism that is still present today.
Featured Image by April Spreeman on Flickr
Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
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