“Poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle do cause health problems, in people of all sizes. This is why it’s so fucking crucial to separate the concept of “obesity” from “eating crap and not exercising.” The two are simply not synonymous — not even close — and it’s not only incredibly offensive but dangerous for thin people to keep pretending that they are. There are thin people who eat crap and don’t exercise — and are thus putting their health at risk — and there are fat people who treat their bodies very well but remain fat. Really truly.”—
Kate Harding (via rebrandingbodyimage)
how does this not get through people’s heads?
That is the very question I am trying to answer.
Redefining Body Image: Research + Process
VISIT THE COMMUNITY
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“For a black cosplayer (not to be racist) she did an amazing job!” the original Tumblr post read. It was later was edited to include “I love her skin tone” after all hell broke loose.
Personally, I’ve always been stuck on those first few words: “for a black cosplayer.” As if the bar was set lower for us, as if we weren’t expected to perform on the same level as white cosplayers.
I lost track of how many times the post was liked, reblogged, linked to other websites — even now, nearly three years after the picture was taken, complete strangers will come up and reference it to me at cons, and it’s even come up in job interviews. My Venus became the unintentional face of the cosplay race debate online, an unwitting example of “Black cosplayers doing it right,” as if 9 times out of 10, black cosplayers were doing it wrong by default.
What kills me is that in person, nobody has the balls to say a word about whether or not they think darker-skinned people should cosplay lighter skinned characters — but online is a completely different animal. Online, I was “Nigger Venus,” and “Sailor Venus Williams” because I am black.
My nose was too wide, lips were too big, I had a “face like a gorilla” and wasn’t suited for such a cute character, because I am black. My wig was too blonde, my wig wasn’t blonde enough, or, my wig was ghetto because I was making it ghetto, by being black and having it on my head.
And furthermore, if I was going to insist on “ruining characters,” I could have at least picked one with black hair so it looked more “natural.” I should have worn blue contacts — but if I had, it would have looked ghetto. Because I am black.
"— Chaka Cumberbatch, “I’m A Black Cosplayer, And Some People Hate It,” Clutch Magazine 2/4/13 (via racialicious)Getting Through
Redefining Body Image: Thoughts on the Journey to Loving Your Body
Poor self-esteem is a hard thing to dissolve, but so many things contribute to it. It’s so personal, deeply embedded and unique to every individual.
Some women feel they need a man to tell them they’re beautiful before they start to believe it. Some women will go to great lengths to attract that…
"I am the spitting image of (fairly) thin and treating my body like crap. And some days I am disgusted by how few people are disgusted by me."
Health is not a virtue. It’s a privilege (and one the disabled don’t have). Fuck that. You don’t have to be healthy. You don’t owe it to anyone. Why do we so often value “taking care of yourself” over qualities like patience, honesty and kindness? Self-care is great, but it’s not a measure of your worth. Working out and eating “right” do NOT make you a better person. And what you or I do with our bodies is nobody’s business, anyway.
Inspiration
Hi,
I think it is a very actual subject and i understand your concern as a designer since you have the responsibility of the message you will convey in your work.
Do you know Annette Messager? She is a french artist, and she got a very sensible and feminine approach in her work. One of her piece is called “Annette Messager collectionneuse,Tortures Volontaires” (Annette Messager collects : Voluntary Tortures) : it is a collection of photographic images which once put together emphasize the cruelty behind cosmetic or beauty related actions. She did also some works related to motherhood, love, death… i guess it is as well body related.
Gina Pane (1939-1990) who was part of the Body-Art Movement was clearly working on the suffering of the body in order to expose it’s vulnerability. She was exposing a fragile body and a kind of sensibility that the society would like to occult.
The artist Wang Du, with his piece called “Family”, is giving another reality to mediatic people by giving them an aging, fatter body with floppy skin. He is then making an opposition between the willing of perfection of those who are using esthetic surgery and realistic ugliness with criticism and irony.
Ron Mueck, with his piece called “Untitled (Big Man)”, and all his other sculptures, is presenting us very realistic human bodies, but always at different scale. The visitors can feel the strangness of seeing another reflects of themselves but in the same time, the change of scale create a distance that allow observation and subjectivity in order to recreate a personal stories for each caracter. I think it is realy intersting because he emphasize the need of human beings to see a story attached to a body.
More personaly, I think that in this consumerist world, our society uses many ways to sale more : by making up unnecessary desires (the cereals with a taste “more chocolate then chocolate”), by enlarging the targeting field (ex: make-up is not just for women it is also for little girls) and mostly by increasing the exposure of advertising in our lives. It would be crazy to assume that it doesn’t have an influence on us. I know that there is not possibly any way that chocolate tastes more then chocolate, i know that sexualizing a little girl by telling her she needs make-up might be a strong wrong influence for her hole life, i know that all those images and references surrounding me with all those beautiful and thin models partially remolded on photoshop is an inaccessible ideal… But it is thought what is surrounds me, it is thought a strong link between me and the rest of the society… It is almost a tacit list of laws : women must be attractive and sexualized, i must have the last technology to prove I’m part of this world, i must have the bigger and faster car to prove my virility etc…. and if i don’t, I’m guilty!! The way we consume, the way we desire definitely has an influence on our body and on the way we perceive it.
(see also Beauty Kit animated video, produced by Pleix)
Added to that, this same consumerist world pushed the food chain to the summit of stupidity : it is more expensive and more difficult to access fresh and healthy food then junk, over-added and over-packaged food. The fact that women are asked to have a career is not helping, the times to grow and cook healthy food for the family is over. Some people eat too much, some people are not eating enough but most of them are not eating good quality food and it has a more important consequences on our bodies then advertising. But i guess it then another subject ;-) …
I’m looking forward to see your blog evolving.
Cheers!
Submitted by yummyformyeyes
Vogue Paris October 2010 issue
Editorial: “Festin”
Model: Crystal Renn
Photographer: Terry Richardson
Stylist: Carine Roitfeld
Crystal Renn is really making a name and carving a nice little niche as the model who won’t starve herself. Not a bad place to be considering the fashion industry’s horrible record on female body image. We’re surprised it’s taken anyone this long to do an entire food-related editorial with her. Leave it to Carine Roitfeld to push it further than we could have imagined. We just don’t know about this one. On the one hand, Crystal’s clearly having fun with it. On the other hand, it’s so obviously designed to be “controversial” and get a reaction out of the public. While you could argue she’s depicted as sensuous and lusty, you could also make the case that she looks sloppy and gluttonous. It’s all going to depend on what you’re (pun unintended) bringing to the table.(via tomandlorenzo)
Scanning women’s fashion/health/beauty magazines for language and visuals.
Nylon.
The Disease called “Perfection”
I think everyone should take a minute and read this article. Beautiful girls like us should never feel like we need to be “perfect.”
http://www.danoah.com/2010/09/disease-called-perfection.html
This is legit.
I had to write a proposal with goals and learning outcomes to submit for approval before I can officially begin my independent study.
Goals:
• My goal is to expand my previous experiences with interactive technologies.
• My goal is to develop a body of research ad present ideas related to society’s ideals regarding the relationship between health and body image.
• My goal is to develop my ability to communicate the essential components articulated in my research.
Learning Outcomes:
• I will develop skills in the creation of multi-faceted media centric installations. This outcome will be demonstrated in the project prototypes.
• The process and methods will add to my previous experiences in interactive technology. This will be demonstrated through the process of development and project prototypes.
• The project will develop my ability to synthesize complex communication streams into accessible user experiences. This will be demonstrated through the process phase of concept development and in the final project outcomes.
In the process I hope to learn more about myself, both personally and as a designer, and to encourage others to question the messages we accept as truth in visual culture in order to find truth within themselves.
