Well, I want to start off by saying both these women looked absolutely fantastic in both of these photographs and still do. They were both shots during their pregnancy and they were both positioned similarly, except that Demi was standing up as opposed to Beyonce who was sitting down. Demi’s was very natural and dramatic with no props and a solid color backdrop whereas, Beyonce’s is colorful and more embellished. Beyonce’s has a floral throne with a sky backdrop.

Demi’s was shot in 1991 by Annie Leibovitz, which was a time where shooting nude in such a manner was “indecent”. Leibovitz idea of shooting this was to combat societies value of thinness by showing the uncomfortable, distorted (not in a terrible way) female form when pregnant. To show that beauty comes in other forms too not just what society deems as “perfect”. This photograph is very natural and raw. It was shot to make women feel empowered and feel free. Leibovitz used Rembrandt lighting. You can see the triangle shown on her right cheek. The shadows help to illuminate the face and parts of the body, like the belly. The lighting adds a more dramatic effect. One arm was positioned over her breast while the other was over her belly. They are both positioned in a way that says, “this is my body and I am not ashamed”. Her head tilted slightly and her eyes looking up shows confidence, that there is no reason for her to look down or feel any less.

On the other hand, Beyonce’s photograph was shot in 2017 by Awol Erizku, during a time where the feminist movement was making waves and great strides in women equality. Beyonce wasn’t completely nude like Demi was. Both her arms were positioned over her belly. Unlike Demi, Beyonce was looking directly at the camera straight on. The photograph seems to be taken with front lighting. There doesn’t seem to be as much dimension to this photo compared to Demi’s. I feel like the use of all the props and background deter from the subject herself but that’s just my two cents.