Gender101@Bowdoin

Domestic Abuse Photographs

Our discussion in class on Monday about violence against women reminded me of this photographer. Donna Ferrato did not begin her career photographing domestic violence. She was following a story about sexual adventures when she witnessed a man scream at and then slap his wife, from that point on she dedicated a decade to advocating for battered women by using her photographs. This link shows photographs from Ferrato’s series: “Living With the Enemy”. These images are very moving and quite hard to look at. The reality of these women’s situations and the how big of a problem domestic violence is is undeniable.

Ferrato’s experience while shooting emphasizes Ann Jones’s theory domestic abuse is exclusively about power and control. Ferrato encountered one man who rationalized his abusive actions by saying he was not hurting his wife but teaching her that she could not lie to him. This is the type of behavior that Ferrato and Jones want people to become aware of. Ferrato also focuses on why women stay in abusive relationships, like Jones she does not have a defined answer.