Siena Avila
Robert Mapplethorpe, "Lisa Lyon"
1982, gelatin silver print
I chose this image because, to me, it depicts unsexualized feminine beauty. Lisa Lyon's body and lifestyle deviate from that which is sold as desirable for a woman in the western world. She is a bodybuilder and allows her body hair to grow long; both seen as masculine practices unbecoming of a woman. Yet she is still beautiful. The viewer's eyes are drawn along her figure and her curves are noticeable, but not exactly sexy. She is beautiful, but not objectified. This is strengthened, I think, by Mapplethorpe's skills in photographing portraits. This image also stood out to me because I see myself in Lyon. My body differs from that which is desired in a similar way to hers. I have distinct arms and shoulders as well, and, while personally this is more of an insecurity rather than something curated, I feel a sense of my own beauty through hers.
