OUGD601: Tampon Tax photoshoot

Concept

The tampon tax is one current issue in the public eye- despite being in the country for 20+ years, women are finally rising up and standing against it. VAT is applied to all 'luxury goods' under UK/EU law, therefore suggesting that sanitary products are a luxury item that women buy. Sanitry products ARE NOT a luxury item, they are a necessity for basic health and human dignity- without these products, women's lives for 1 week a month would be even more hell than it already is. 1/10 women in the UK cannot afford sanity products, partly due to the 20% tax; women all across the world are experiencing this issue, with 88% of Indian women having no access to this necessity. 

To show the products as a 'luxury' good, I fashioned 2 packs of sanitary pads into a leotard, a little dress, playsuit and corset top, using Tampons as earrings. The juxtaposition between the functionality of the product and how the prop is being used is what gives this piece concept, yet from a distance may not look completely obvious to the viewer. 

Evaluation

There was a slight change of plan as the model dropped out of the shoot last minuet, and I had no one to replace her who was willing to be covered in products- so I stepped in and modelled for it myself. I was assisted by Anna Farmer who helped with the photography, after briefing her on what kinds of shots I wanted and how I wanted the campaign to be. Initially, I wanted shots with the models face in, yet as I felt having my own face in would ruin the look of the shoot, I decided to focus on the boddess and props rather than the 'fashion' aspect to the image. Looking back, I think this was the right decision and will aid the overall success of the outcome. The impact is in the subtle but obvious use of signs related to tampon tax and feminism in general, raising awareness of women's issues and giving people the opportunity to discuss these issues openly. By juxtaposing clothing with sanitary products, elements of humour are introduced, with a socially provocative underlying message.