“Do I give up my agency when I give up my physicality to John with a scanner? How do I maintain a sense of self when my tangible body is abstracted?”

-Lauren

“I don’t see it as a woman (or man) when its on the screen. I try to get a good scan, I really don’t see you as that (an object)”
-John

This is an attempt to explain but by no means justify a small aspect of the objectification of women within our society.  I think that often the one directly responsible for executing this objectification within the creative world of digital media is often blinded in the moment of creativity.  This was my experience while scanning Lauren and then having a conversation with her about it days later.  Was my goal as the creator of the scan to show her as an object? No.  But now, stepping back, I can see how easily this image of her, although not my intention, could be used to objectify her.  I am reminded that we as ‘Makers’ must take a step back from the creative process and take responsibility for the things we make and how they may affect the world.