Monday, March 30, 2009

Cute Images


The first picture is called "Show Girl" by Akane Koide
The second picture is called "Butcher Shop" by Mahomi Kunikata

The first image shows a schoolgirl, maybe of high school age laying on a pile of money inside of a dead looking eye. The title suggests that this girl might be the type of girl who goes out with men for money and shows them a good time. The money she is laying on is the material reward she gets from these ventures, while the fake smile on her face and the eye she is laying in tell a different story. The smile she gives seems sad in nature, almost like the smile one gives when one has completely given up and all you can do is smile to hide the pain. The eye she is laying in represents the stares she might get as she walks down the street or the constant viewing she gets from men all day long. The deadness of the eye represents the emptiness this girl is feeling, I think she is like the walking dead, without a purpose and does not know how to get out the situation she is in now.

The Second image is more disturbing in nature. This image is a good example of using something cute to incite fear or dread. The type of fear being represented here is analogous to the fear some people feel over dolls and the like. The girl in the image is the stereotypical cute Japanese anime character, but the fact that there is blood all over her shirt from the meat she is eating, and the fact that she looks so innocent doing it make the image seem very disturbing. Also, seeing the bloody baseball right next to her feet immediately brings the thought of cannibalism into ones mind and brings another dimension of horror into the image.