Jean Rhys Mannequin vs. Carol Ann Duffy's Standing Female Nude

Rhys’s “Mannequin” is very descriptive and uses a lot of visual imagery to describe the “mannequins”. I think that the use of so much visual imagery emphasizes the sole importance of appearance when it comes to these models. They are completely defined by what they look like -- they all have a certain “look” -- gamine, enfant, garconne, femme fatale Each woman is a double of herself -- she presents her “look” to the American and English buyers, and her appearance is the only thing of any importance to these buyers. But inside she is capable of intelligent thought and complex feelings -- She is more than just her “look”. Rhys’s story is a criticism of capitalism and a material-based society. A capitalistic society focused on supply and demand objectifies women through its advertising because all that matters is the sale. Duffy’s “Standing Female Nude” is a criticism of the objectification of women in the art world. She is simply standing nude to make money, and the artist is painting her to make money as well. The people who consume the art are pretentious and see it as “Art” and romanticize her modeling nude, but it was really a meaningless interaction between the model and the artist, which demonstrates doubling between art and reality. The female nude model will be forever represented as a “river whore” but the artist is revered as a “genius”, which represents double standards and objectification of women