Getting Hot and Heavy With the American Flag?

[rexbobcat]

Since Independence Day just passed (for those of you in America), I thought I would share with you something that I just found this morning while browsing Texas photography.

Okay; I don't want to be someone who has a close-minded and blindly patriotic view of things, because there was a post on here from a woman who took some portraits of her daughter in carious poses with the American flag with the intent of honoring our veterans and I didn't think that the photos were distasteful even though many others did. But...

This: >>>>> Moderators note - Caution - Images may be NSFW.

Nightvision Photo Glamour Photography Wichita Falls Texas USA

I was looking online at some Texas photographers an when I first opened this website I saw the background and font choise and my first thought was "oh god."

Then I saw these and...I think it's probably the most insulted I've been by portraiture in my life. That's probably an exaggeration but still...wtf...

I mean, I can understand wearing a red, white and blue American flag miniskirt but, haphazardly draping the ACTUAL American flag around a model and having her seductively grab her breast is just...tacky...in my opinion.

It would be different if these were meant to provoke attention and cause controversy but these are supposed to be SEXY. What's sexier than pulling the symbol of your country across your ass right?

And since it's traditionally disrespectful to let a flag touch the ground, let's have some model around with it

I might just be too patriotic/easily offended. What's your take?

 

[Patriot]

That's just FKING wrong in every way possible. This is not what I'm fighting for! How dare she disrespect our symbol of freedom and Justice like that. This is in no way or form patriotic in any sense. Do you know how many of those that have die would roll over in their graves if they too saw this? It's bad enough that there are rugs sold with the Old Glory design on it.

I don't know about anyone else but I find this tasteless.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

 

[pixmedic]

it is only as offensive as the photographer meant it to be, and as the viewers take it to be. maybe he meant it as something artful and tasteful and his vision of "artsy" is just a little blurred.
maybe he did it to get a reaction out of people. personally, I am less offended by this as I am by every semi-pro singer wannabe writing a "patriotic" song after sept. 11 to get played on the radio so they can listen to themselves. and honestly, i am not all THAT offended by it, just a little. I think sometimes we forget the meaning of that flag and that it stands for freedom. and sometimes allowing people to have freedom means dealing with distasteful things. the alternative is to stifle that freedom and censorship becomes status quo. Its a slippery slope. Do I find those pictures distasteful? yea, they are tacky as hell, lacking any artistic flair in my opinion. Do I think he should be allowed to do it? HELL yea.

sometimes people do stuff like that just for shock value. they are looking for attention. any kind of attention, even negative. they just want a reaction. If we stop giving them that reaction and attention, they will stop doing it. the best way to stop things we think are distasteful like that is to ignore it. and seriously...have you looked through that website? terrible.

 

[kundalini]

I might just be too patriotic/easily offended. What's your take?

I'm glad to live in a country where this type of Freedom of Speech is not only permitted, but protected by the constitution. I didn't care for flag burning when it was fashionable not too long ago, however I believed it was their right to do so.

 

[rexbobcat]

But that's the thing. All evidence points to the assumption that this person was dead serious with these. I mean, this isn't Sasha Baron Cohen here. This is a working, generic, photographer.

I just don't understand why people are so absorbed in the "screw you guys, I do what I want" (Southpark anyone?) mentality that they use it as an excuse not for freedom but instead for free-for-all.

 

[rexbobcat]

I might just be too patriotic/easily offended. What's your take?

I'm glad to live in a country where this type of Freedom of Speech is not only permitted, but protected by the constitution. I didn't care for flag burning when it was fashionable not too long ago, however I believed it was their right to do so.

I never said it wasn't their right. I just said it was distasteful. Those two words are not synonymous.

It's like those olympic photos. It's the photographer's right to take photos like that, but that doesn't mean that the photos aren't ****.

Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

 

[Patriot]

This is taking freedom of speech too far!

 

[pixmedic]

But that's the thing. All evidence points to the assumption that this person was dead serious with these. I mean, this isn't Sasha Baron Cohen here. This is a working, generic, photographer.

I just don't understand why people are so absorbed in the "screw you guys, I do what I want" (Southpark anyone?) mentality that they use it as an excuse not for freedom but instead for free-for-all.

I cant speak for the mentality of the people doing this kind of stuff. I can only speak for the mentality of the people working and fighting for their right to be able to this kind of stuff, as I imagine they do their jobs for a country that gives us the freedoms that many countries do not. there will always be people that will flaunt that, and take advantage of that for their own agendas. we just have to hope that a few dont spoil it for everyone.

 

[KmH]

This is taking freedom of speech too far!

That you can make that statement is what freedom of speech is all about.

 

[cgipson1]

Look at the entire site... skanky models, poor lighting, bad posing. Is it any wonder that poor taste abounds? Even in the use of the flag?

 

[Patriot]

This is taking freedom of speech too far!

That you can make that statement is what freedom of speech is all about.

Just because you can do it doesn't mean that you should.

 

[Overread]

I'm just perplexed at seeing anything wrong with them at all.

I mean heck the "stars and stripes" has been printed on pretty much everything - flags, shirts, shoes, underpants, bottles of water, towels, beach towels, wash cloths..... So I don't see any problem with some gal posing for a photographer with the flag itself.

 

[rexbobcat]

But that's the thing. All evidence points to the assumption that this person was dead serious with these. I mean, this isn't Sasha Baron Cohen here. This is a working, generic, photographer.

I just don't understand why people are so absorbed in the "screw you guys, I do what I want" (Southpark anyone?) mentality that they use it as an excuse not for freedom but instead for free-for-all.

I cant speak for the mentality of the people doing this kind of stuff. I can only speak for the mentality of the people working and fighting for their right to be able to this kind of stuff, as I imagine they do their jobs for a country that gives us the freedoms that many countries do not. there will always be people that will flaunt that, and take advantage of that for their own agendas. we just have to hope that a few dont spoil it for everyone.

I know what you mean. I just have heartburn with the mentality that "you're just too sensitive because you don't appreciate/understand freedom or the philosophy of subjectivity." I wasn't implying that these photos aren't right. I was just implying that they aren't respectful or good.

In my opinion situations like this rank up there with people who go to live in another country and refuse to learn the language. It just seems ignorant.

 

[Patriot]

But that's the thing. All evidence points to the assumption that this person was dead serious with these. I mean, this isn't Sasha Baron Cohen here. This is a working, generic, photographer.

I just don't understand why people are so absorbed in the "screw you guys, I do what I want" (Southpark anyone?) mentality that they use it as an excuse not for freedom but instead for free-for-all.

I cant speak for the mentality of the people doing this kind of stuff. I can only speak for the mentality of the people working and fighting for their right to be able to this kind of stuff, as I imagine they do their jobs for a country that gives us the freedoms that many countries do not. there will always be people that will flaunt that, and take advantage of that for their own agendas. we just have to hope that a few dont spoil it for everyone.

I know what you mean. I just have heartburn with the mentality that "you're just too sensitive because you don't appreciate/understand freedom or the philosophy of subjectivity." I wasn't implying that these photos aren't right. I was just implying that they aren't respectful or good.

In my opinion situations like this rank up there with people who go to live in another country and refuse to learn the language. It just seems ignorant.

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