Cat*
First of all, I appreciate the diversity of opinions in this thread a lot.
I don't mind a comic-like aesthetic in general, I don't mind exaggerations, I don't mind classic pin-up art, in fact, I like all of these in art (among other things). But I believe that some concepts of tarot just aren't incorporated best by a young, mainstream-sexy woman (this argument is about art more than about sexism). My inner image of a Queen of Pentacles, for example, is a motherly type of woman, someone who looks as if she'd make you something to eat first when you went over to her to talk about your problems. Someone who enjoys eating, and is a very sensual, physical person in general. And such a someone just isn't a model-thin "girl" in my imagination (which is not to say that thin women can't behave like that...) but a big, round woman. Think mature bellydancer. Think of the clichéed Italian/Jewish mamma. And please don't tell me that this sort of femaleness can't be sexy as hell (well, obviously not everyone enjoys it, but many many people do, men as well as women)...
Which is why I always argue for more variety in showing human bodies, between decks, but also within one deck.
ETA:
Before we chalk all this up to mere taste, however, I'd like to note that aesthetic taste is extremely shaped by dominant ideologies (even if you have a non-dominant taste) and is never as "neutral" as we sometimes like to believe... It's very obvious when you look at how different body types have been "the timeless ideal" throughout history and across cultures.
Well, but my dream version of a deck (with or without nudity), and my ideal world at that, would include people of all shapes and colors enjoying their physicality (among other things). If there are old(er) men in a deck (Kings, Hierophants, or others), I think we need old(er) women, too. Being a queen implies maturity to me, and maturity isn't limited to women aged 25-35. It isn't even most developed in that age group. If there are bigger men, then there should be bigger women, too. Human taste in bodies is much more varied than mainstream erotica suggest, after all.RiccardoLS said:On the other side, should deck portray an idealized world? All people young and beautiful... they are symbols/auratic abstractions of concepts. For instance they are not "a woman fighting a lion", but they are "strength".
Or should they portray/illustrate reality? Then we should have old and young, ugly and beautiful, etc...
I don't mind a comic-like aesthetic in general, I don't mind exaggerations, I don't mind classic pin-up art, in fact, I like all of these in art (among other things). But I believe that some concepts of tarot just aren't incorporated best by a young, mainstream-sexy woman (this argument is about art more than about sexism). My inner image of a Queen of Pentacles, for example, is a motherly type of woman, someone who looks as if she'd make you something to eat first when you went over to her to talk about your problems. Someone who enjoys eating, and is a very sensual, physical person in general. And such a someone just isn't a model-thin "girl" in my imagination (which is not to say that thin women can't behave like that...) but a big, round woman. Think mature bellydancer. Think of the clichéed Italian/Jewish mamma. And please don't tell me that this sort of femaleness can't be sexy as hell (well, obviously not everyone enjoys it, but many many people do, men as well as women)...
Isn't that exactly the point? That many (not all!) women feel that they have difficulties with these images and therefore have difficulties reading with those decks (heck, they might not even buy them in the first place!)? That it can be hard for some of us to relate to images of people who never look anything like we do, but who are supposed to give us answers about our most intimate concerns?RiccardoLS said:How does it reflect on reading?
Which is why I always argue for more variety in showing human bodies, between decks, but also within one deck.
ETA:
See, I personally would take Toni Collette over Scarlett Johansson any time because she has so much more personality. But I generally have a preference for so-called imperfections. I find them more engaging and interesting.RiccardoLS said:Even if the women are idealized (the same you see in ANY hollywood movie. Wonder why Scarlett Joansonn is more popular than Toni Collette?), they have a very powerful and distinct personality.
Before we chalk all this up to mere taste, however, I'd like to note that aesthetic taste is extremely shaped by dominant ideologies (even if you have a non-dominant taste) and is never as "neutral" as we sometimes like to believe... It's very obvious when you look at how different body types have been "the timeless ideal" throughout history and across cultures.