My thesis interrogates the concept of a “female gaze” in fashion photography through an assessment of the work of Petra Collins. Known for her dreamy, hyperfeminine aesthetic, Collins is often celebrated as a feminist voice reshaping the way women appear in fashion media. But does her work truly subvert the male gaze? Or do her photographs merely repackage it in more palatable terms?
Examining Collins’ editorials and advertising campaigns from 2014 to 2024, I draw on feminist visual theory and close visual analysis to identify three recurring strategies in her fashion photography: mimicking compositions from famous fashion photographers like Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdin, centering non-normative female sexuality, and drawing on emotional, self-reflexive coming-of-age narratives.
In my research, I argue that Collins doesn’t offer a clear reversal of the male gaze but instead produces something more complex: images that blur the lines between critique and aesthetic appeal, commercial fashion and feminist art. At the same time, I interrogate the limits of her vision, especially when it comes to race, class, and beauty norms.
Ultimately, this project challenges the idea that placing a woman behind the camera automatically produces an empowering female gaze in fashion photography. I propose that the female gaze should be understood as a set of visual and ideological strategies that can be taught, analyzed, and debated. Collins’ work becomes a case study for thinking through both the power and the contradictions of feminist image making in fashion today.
Photo Credits: Petra Collins, Untitled (model crafting tin-foil alien), Vogue Ukraine, 2021.
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