Thinking more about the first project...

Overall theme: In these images, the "successful" are photographed in the midst of disaster or breaking taboos and either way they are glorified. However, those considered less successful are photographed in similar circumstances and the images convey a feeling of vulnerability and 'otherness'.
Image 1

Kathryn Hepburn among the rubble of the Great New England Hurricane, 1938.
Because of her wealth and social status, the actress is not only unaffected by the tragedy of the hurricane that destroyed everything around her, but she has the privilege of being able to pose for the photographer, ironically cheerful and with the frivolity of a bath and companion in this depressing scene. She represents the position of the elite and the cultural construction of their higher class and its invincibility.

Image 2

A man stands in front of his home in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans 2005. By Adrian Overstreet.
Because of his lack of wealth and status, the man is left to manage the destruction of his home in the wake of the disaster. He is pictured desperate and alone. His image represents of the plight of the poor and their vulnerability in times of need.

Image 3

Stephanie, Cindy, Christy, Tatjana, Naomi. Hollywood 1989. By Herb Ritts.
Women of privilege, that is, women who are socially recognized as beautiful, break taboos of what is it to be proper and homo-sensuality in this famous image. Because they are the American ideal, the nudity and looks of innocence are accepted as 'art' and the photographer is praised for his ability to capture these otherwise unattainable subjects.

Image 4

Amish women and children. Pennsylvania 1985. By David Turnley.
Women on the fringes of society, due to their religious and cultural choices, appear foreign in their own country. By not conforming to the American ideal of womanhood, they are 'poor', 'unfortunate', and 'homely'. Their faces portray the hardship of their lives.