Saturday, January 20, 2024

Week 99 Photo Challenge: Masculine

We are back to the deep freeze again this weekend, with the possibility of freezing rain early Monday.  Thankfully, this week's challenge photo was one the didn't require outdoor shooting. 




It's another card that can be interpreted visually lots of ways.  I had one idea that sorta worked, but my favorite photo was one that just happened to catch my eye as I was walking by with the camera. 


Kate: The Coat Rack


It's the combination of coat rack, jacket and hat that just says outdoor guy to me, like a farmer/rancher.  Of course this is My Guy's stuff, he grew up on a farm.  I'm not sure how old the jacket is, it definitely dates back to college, when he still helped out on the farm when he was home. It's out on the coat rack because this is what he wears when he's out doing bird counts or checking on eagle nests in the area.  

My Guy went in an entirely different direction. 


My Guy: Macho


It's all about the mustache.  He gave me a series of photos with the mustache on various items and it was really tempting to put them all into a collage to show for this week's challenge.  But he picked this one to use for the blog.  This squirrel was a Christmas gift from one of his sisters. It sits on the dining room table and is where we display the challenge card for the week.  

Grad Girl's title for her photo is intended to tell a story. 


Grad Girl: Picture a Scientist

What image shows up in your mind when you see the term "scientist"?  Science was in the past mostly a masculine endeavor. The lab coats don't quite fit women, the generic ones are made and sized for men (the sleeves are too long and if you're curvy, sometimes they don't button in certain areas, unless you get one that swallows you). Where I worked, women weren't given the option to order women's cut lab coats till about 5 years ago.  If you work in an older facility, the height and depth of hoods and lab benches are sized for men. If you are an average height woman, which Grad Girl is, she's too short to reach the back of the hood or across the lab benches without a step stool.  

So this week's approaches ran from typical to humorous to a social statement.  That's definitely variety.  Next week's challenge will be harder to have all those type of images. 




My Guy told me to select a "good" card. When I pulled this one out of the deck, I don't think I met that criteria. January is not necessarily the best month for finding those in the wild.  No telling what we'll come up with over the next week.  

9 comments:

Linda said...

Oh these are all good! I have to say Grad Girl's interpretation is pretty deep. I guess in that field we haven't yet "come a long way baby", right?

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

I love your guy's hat, and also the squirrel dish! I bet you all would get some laughs finding that mustache here and there around the house. I'm not surprised at what you said about so much in a science lab being male oriented. One of my college roommates who is a scientist told me when she interviewed for her first job out of college (this was in the late 70s) that she was told she wouldn5be able to do it because she was a woman! Have you read Lessons in Chemistry? You would love it!

Sara said...

Your husband's photo really made me laugh! The moustache is a hoot. Love that hat on your coat rack too. It's interesting how certain career choices just don't account for gender. I worked in telecom engineering for years before becoming a teacher, and it was so male dominated. I actually would show up a a job site and be asked by the contractor "where's the engineer?". One guy said to me "how did a little girl like you get this job?".

MissPat said...

If all else fails, you could head to Trader Joe's if there's one nearby. They always have bun ches of flowers. Or you could fashion a flower out of fabric.
Pat

Barbara said...

So much fun seeing these. Miss Pat has a good idea for your flowers. Our grocery store always has fresh flowers.

Sandra Walker said...

I always enjoy your photo posts; the variety amongst the three of you is so interesting! I especially like your daughter's, and I'm glad you gave the added paragraph to shed more light on this area. My eyes widened (hugely so) when I read that you'd only been given the option to order a feminine fit FIVE years ago??? I'd need a super-large steps tool to reach hoods and benches as I'm only 5'2". I wonder how scientists like Marie Curie stood the BS. Sigh.

Bonnie said...

Interesting photos... I second the recommendation of Lessons in Chemistry. I read the book when it first came out last year -- I loved it. I grew up in the time period but wasn't a scientist. If you like to read give it a try and tell Grad Girl too. Hopefully she won't have as many issues as shown in the book. I have to say your picture really spoke to me. I laughed at the squirrel. And wad surprised at the lab coats and such. I would never have thought about lab coats not being made for both sexes. Weird. Hopefully the US is making progress in that area.

Donna said...

The coat rack pic is my fave. Lots of items have flowers on them - upholstery, dishes, clothing, home dec. I'm sure you'll all come up with something.

Jennifer said...

Great pictures, I really like yours this week!