Christina Markey- Sally Mann

The controversial photographs of Sally Mann’s Immediate Family included images of her children nude, bruised, and dancing around Sally’s landscape. These Sally Mann photographs are known for Sally making public what is normally private. Sally Mann claims while photographing these images she never separated herself between an artist and a mother. She stated that she never meant to provoke or shock anyone with these images she just wanted to show images that represented her own life growing up in the American South by displaying young children on the verge of adolescence, reckoning with her own position as a white southern, decaying bodies, and landscapes imbued with an ethereal quality. Sally Mann also defends her case by saying that out of 65 images in the book, there are only 13 nude photos. She claims that because there was no internet back in the day that she did not even think about child pornography being something she needed to watch out for. Sally Mann’s work also faced a lot of controversy and backlash from many large companies that felt this album was unfair to the children. 

I believe Sally Mann’s photographs are not meant to be harmful, but I understand why people would argue that these images of her children are inappropriate and should not be displayed. I understand that in Virginia it is very common for children to be running around half nude so photographing it is not strange. I just believe those types of personal pictures should be kept to the family alone. There is no reason for strangers to see the nude children. Many parents create photos of their children nude when they are younger, but it is kept within just their family to cherish and look back on as their children grow. They are still personal pictures and at a certain age these photographs nude stop. I do not think Emmett, Jessie, or Virginia especially being 12, 1o, and 7 and old enough to understand what is going on, would appreciate their private areas being displayed to random people everywhere. I think these photos bring me a little discomfort because the age of the children. There should be a certain age where you stop photographing a child nude and I believe Sally Mann exceeds this age.  Pedophilia is very common in our world and I cannot believe that Sally Mann feels comfortable exposing her children to this to anyone out there. Even with the right intention, I believe Sally Mann’s photographing of her children growing up in the American South should not be displayed publicly. Her children should be protected by her and exposing them in these images is not looking out for them.