Putting Herselfie in the Picture

'The Substitute' by Dawn Woolley

Abstract

In this photograph by Dawn Woolley, the man handling ‘the substitute’, a life-size cut-out of awoman in her swimsuit, stands out as a modern Coppelius who may have designed this laserprint paper doll to satisfy his own desires. The long and slim body of the ‘substitute’ is like theperfect figure of models in glossy magazines and adverts. As the man is engaging in foreplaywith the uncanny two-dimensional reproduction of a female body, Dawn Woolley’s photographforegrounds both the objectification of women and the collective fascination of ourcontemporary societies with idealized Photoshopped bodies.