Untitled Film Still #84 1979

Cindy Sherman created this black and white photograph, part of her "Untitled Film Still" series, in the late 1970s. Sherman, through these photographs, explores the representation of women in film and media. This image presents a woman in a domestic setting, a kitchen filled with vintage appliances. She's caught mid-action, reaching into a grocery bag, her expression suggesting surprise or perhaps fear. Sherman plays with the viewers expectations of women, who have been portrayed in stereotypical roles through the male gaze. Sherman once said that she is "using herself as a model to talk about other things." The "film stills" explore the performance of identity. It is also an interpretation of the relationship between the viewer and the viewed. She is looking at the camera in such a way as to make you question who and what she is. Ultimately, Sherman’s work invites us to consider how gender, class, and personal narrative intersect and how deeply ingrained these images are in our cultural psyche.