Book Review: Dairy Character by Odette England
From Dairy Character by Odette England
Written by Grace Russell
In her latest book, Dairy Character, photographer Odette England delivers personal insight into the life of a woman growing up on a dairy farm in rural Australia. Including recent photographs, archival images, and family snapshots, England describes the gender-centered repression that females experience when living in a male-dominated community.
England grew up on her family's 200-acre dairy farm in Southern Australia. Now based in both New York City and Providence, Rhode Island, England still visits the subject of her past farm life in photographs and written stories, stressing the importance of acknowledging the marginalization of women in a rural upbringing.
From Dairy Character by Odette England, courtesy of the Holstein Friesian Association of Australia
Each image is delicately exhibited, lightly touched with pink blush tones, yet the more profound meaning can be seen as an uncomfortable topic to speak upon. Expressing the importance of shining a light on girls and women in rural areas, England draws a staggering comparison of the objectification of women and dairy cows. England's realization of this comparison came from discovering an old farmer's guide manual that belonged to her father. Throughout the pages, she noticed that the derogatory terms describing the dairy cows' body parts were very similar to the language used in the pornography field to describe women. Many of the photographs and text found in this manual are featured throughout the pages of Dairy Character.
From Dairy Character by Odette England
In one image, young Odette is seen sitting within a crowd of dairy cows on her family's farm on a misty day. In another, the sun's glare through the farmhouse window slightly shields the lens from the view of the land. Many of the photographs have a direct nostalgic connection to her upbringing, yet some are taken much more recently, featuring her daughter re-enacting moments from England's childhood.
From Dairy Character by Odette England
Accompanying the images, the book features multiple autobiographical short stories from England's life. Telling the story of a little girl who wanted a pink room in a farmhouse full of beige, or the memory of sitting on her father's first worthy watermelon from his veggie patch. The written insight alongside England's photographs is an integral part of the importance behind Dairy Character's message.
Dairy Character, published by Saint Lucy Books, will be available this September. The book can be purchased directly from the publisher's website.
