Family Frames

Family Frames by Marianne Hirsh (1997)

This article draws from the other assigned reading we did for this class, Camera Lucida by Barthes. Hirsh starts with an example of the photo of Barthes mother, explaining that we can’t see the photo from the same perspective as Barthes, that it holds a different meaning for him than it does for us. She then goes on to speak to the advent of the camera and the use of photography to capture representations of the family unit.

What I’d like to focus on in this blog are some of Hirsh’s statements about the family photo and how it creates a false perception of what the family unit should look like. With the invention of the Kodak camera, “photography quickly became the family’s primary instrument of self knowledge.” These photos were the means by which the family’s story would be told and remembered. The family photo specifically displays cohesion of the family unit, and an idealized version of the family. She states that “photography can reduce the strains of family life by sustaining an imaginary cohesion, even as it exacerbates them by creating images that real families cannot uphold.” The idea of the perfect family is influenced by many cultural, economic and historical aspects, but the idea that there is always someone to look up to, or a group shaping who one’s identity in society is always constant.

Stepping away from the family photo and focusing more on photography in general, I think that Hirsh’s statements can easily be applied to the use of social media today. She says, “the photograph gives the illusion of being a simple transcription of the real.” The key word here is “illusion.” Photographs are not real, and today more than ever, we can manipulate the photo or the subjects in it to look more beautiful, happier, thinner, tanner. Also, the concept of posing for photos proves Hirsh’s point that photos are just illusions of reality. When we pose for a photo, we are not capturing a moment of life, we are creating an artificial moment in life so that it may be captured in a photograph. This creation of false moments in time for the purpose of photos is related especially to Instagram. These manipulations of reality create negative connotations that affect body image and mental well-being, as studies have shown. With modern technology, we have the ability to make our lives seem perfect, even when they aren’t, and that is what Hirsh pointed out when she spoke about the family photo reflecting the ideal family.