Summary Of Joy Kasson's Essay 'The Greek Slave'

Joy Kasson’s essay “Naratives of the Female Body: The Greek Slave” discusses Hiram Powers’ sculpture The Greek Slave and how much information it contains on the cultural construction of gender during this time period. Her naked body shows fine details and the beauty of the female body. Over time as our culture has developed, the way people view women has also developed to fit how our culture has changed. In the photo I will be discussing, a photo of Kim Kardashian from Playboy Magazine, one is able to see the similarities of expressing the beauty of the female body while at the same showing a more contemporary view of women. Hiram Powers’ work The Greek Slave became a very well respected piece of art despite the fact that it showed a nude
Women were viewed to be of a lower status and less than men during that time. The photo of Kim Kardashian does not need to be accompanied by any story of how powerless she is and that is why she has been photographed this way. As society has changed over time, it has become more acceptable for women to show themselves in a classy way. In our society women are no longer viewed as being of a lower status or being less powerful than men, many times they are viewed as
The point of the photo of Kim Kardashian is purely just how her body is portrayed in the photo. The viewer will not consider what her past was and how that has brought her here. A similar reaction can be assumed by men from both pieces of work. Male viewers of The Greek Slave made comments such as, “Why hauntest thou dreams” (Kasson). Women also can comment on the pieces of work but in a different way. A woman would say something about how the image is so beautiful that it could move her to