What does this quote mean to you?

"The most important thing we get from fashion photography is a unique, valuable and extraordinarily detailed view of women, which reveals itself, after anything more than a cursory study, to be multifaceted. We see very clearly how women looked; not just how they dressed, but how they desired to look, and were expected to look, and how they were looked at. We can discern how they behaved, and how they were expected to behave. We can see what was found shocking, and how repetition of that shock lessened its impact. We can see what roles women played and how these roles have changed, trace how long it took for one stereotype to take over from one another, and finally perceive the reality of the women behind their images, even in the most unreal settings." (Polly Devlin, Vogue Book of Fashion Photography, 1919-1979)