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Martin Parr’s photo of a couple on the beach of Punta del Este, Uruguay captures the “oh sh*t” moment that has marked the beginning of the decline of many marriages throughout history.
Parr said of the beach, “The seaside has to be one of the most fascinating places for people-watching. It is a place where we relax and lose our inhibitions, and that’s when true personalities come on display.” This is better for some than it is for others, as exemplified in this photo.
The ad says, “Con Diego queremos vivir un amor en el que nos reelijan….” (the rest gets cut off). This means something along the lines of “With Diego we want to live a love in which we are relaxed” but that’s irrelevant. It’s all about the older gentleman looking at the young, beautiful, and scantily clad woman lying on a beach while his very own scantily clad lady sits next to him. She’s looking at him, looking at the woman in the magazine and touching his arm as if to say, “Stop being such a pervert, Marv!” And even from the back of his head, we know Marv is wondering who this Diego guy is and how he can trade lives with him.
This photo is one of those super cool moments where the male gaze is made gaze-able. It’s not done often, but when it is, we love to ridicule the man caught looking. It’s a pastime that started with the heroine Mary Cassatt and her painting In the Lodge. Cassatt was proficient in the mocking of men. Truthfully it never gets old, especially when the ridiculer is the cutest little old man England has to offer, Martin Parr. If ever there is a chance to change America’s pastime, male gaze ridiculing would be a great alternative to baseball.
Sources
- "Martin Parr. Punta Del Este, Uruguay. 2006 | Moma." The Museum of Modern Art. Web. 9 Jan. 2018.https://www.moma.org/collection/works/185892?artist_id=4506&locale=en&s…
- Pomerantz, James. "On The Beach With Martin Parr." The New Yorker. N.p., 2012. Web. 9 Jan. 2018. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/on-the-beach-with-martin-…
- Romig, Rollo. "Off The Shelf: Martin Parr’S “Small World”." The New Yorker. N.p., 2010. Web. 9 Jan. 2018. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/off-the-shelf-martin-parr…