For this project we were to pick a social issue that really nagged at us. All I kept thinking of were our societies standards and expectations on beauty. I tried to brainstorm and just so many things kept coming to my mind. I am bothered by the things that we allow to put ourselves through to be considered “beautiful.” (and, really, by who I might ask?)
Do most people really know what the listed ingredients are in our skin care and make up? Do we pay attention to expiration dates? Do we check to see if a company is eco friendly, or tests on animals? Are they owned by a sister company that does? Do we really know what we put animals through in said testing? I think about the girl who flips through magazines (or scrolls through her social media accounts) and stares at pictures of women with perfect skin and a great body. I wonder what thoughts pop up in her head. I have a healthy mindset and I STILL struggle with some of those thoughts myself from time to time. I think if you asked most women, they do too. But for a lot of women and young girls in todays society there is a heavier effect from these standards. Do we really know much about the extent of the mental effects this causes? Who says we can’t have acne? We loose our beauty if we have stretch marks? Who tells these women that they aren’t beautiful?
I think that if we put down our magazines, unfollowed that list of women on instagram, or unfriended a criticizing friend and got to look at ourselves without the standards, we would be surprised. We have the right to know what is in our skin products and our makeup. Women everywhere should be doing research on whats going on behind the advertisement. Start to look inside your heart and appreciate your body the way you are, right now. Not where you used to be, but where ever you are in life. You are Beautiful.
My first piece is a facial cage. This has two representations of societal beauty. The first being to replicate the caging of animals. Just like no one really knows what is going on in our heads, no one knows what is going on in their hearts and the extent of the harm being done to them. Cages are used to confine or put a stop to, they also however are defined as strong structures. The second representation is simply the face is where most of beauty is centered. My head piece is helpful in the way that it has a green onyx stone on the center where your third eye chakra is. This stone helps your discipline, your willpower and your strength. All of these qualities are helpful when starting to break out of societal habits and mindsets.
This hand held scanner is so incredibly helpful! Actually, it’s more than just a scanner, it is a teaching tool and a built in motivator. It is to be used by scanning a product and giving a full detail explanation of the ingredients and their chemical and physical effects. A lot of ingredients are harmful to lots of parts of you physically. Teflon for example can cause issues in reproduction and hormone distribution. It’s important to know these things before you put them on or in your body.
This scanner also helps in finding products that align with your wants to avoid certain things! It can log your must not haves as well as your saved for laters!
This garment is to be worn as a top. While brainstorming with my professor, she hugged herself. I was really inspired this, what better way to implicate the feeling of embrace than a hug?! There are so many negative thoughts and mindsets that stem from society pushing beauty standards onto us. We should find the beauty of ourselves in ourselves.
I chose each of these beads to represent a certain positive self quality or aspect. The main obviously being self love, the main big green bead, replicated in different shades on the middle fo the top, the straps and the headpiece. It is just a reminding repetition to love yourself. Others were inspired by gentleness, kindness, authenticity, perceptive, thoughtful, patience, trustworthy, capable, raw, honest, and consistent. They represent things we should want to see in ourselves. It is a daily work to keep in us and pour out into others. What other way to remind ourselves of the mindset and the body we want to be in, we are working towards, that represents our hearts and the beauty of ourselves, just the way we are?
