This weeks class consisted of discussions surrounding Oscar Wilde's Salome and how Aubrey Beardsley's illustrations accompany and further add on to the concepts presented within the text. Many of the discussions surrounded female sexuality during the fin de siecle and how Beardsley decided to portray Salome despite this. The way Beardsley illustrates Salome is interesting as although she could be viewed as a femme fatale, a beautiful women who causes disaster, due to her stone cold facial features and clear power she has over men, Beardsley illustrates her in a nude and seductive way which stems from the idea of the male gaze. The male gaze is an interesting idea to further research as much of media today is created for the male gaze as women are extremely sexualized and objectified within it. Beardsley's depiction of Salome is sensual and nude for a reason, in the image "The Stomach Dance" she is portrayed with her breasts out with thin clothing and veils being the only things covering the rest of her body. The inclusion of the veils within this image and the way it is clear that the veils are being removed as she dances is an example of how the male gaze affected his illustrations, as she is objectified and leaves people to fantasize over what is under the veils. Although despite this, I like to think of this version of Salome as a femme fatale as her hard expression is quite intimidating despite her breasts being exposed most of the time. 
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