501

Responding to an Image

This image portrays an obvious reversal of traditional gender roles—a woman on her knee, proposing marriage to a man. Does it reinforce or conform to traditional ideas about masculinity and femininity, too? Consider each person’s posture, facial expression, clothing, physical attributes, and any other elements you notice. Where are they, literally, and in the course of their lives? What do you imagine preceded this moment? What do you imagine will follow for this couple, and how might gender play a role based on the dynamic illustrated here?