*screen shot from video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv-WI6Vlrpk

I found an interesting video that perhaps all Asian Americans could personally relate. I think that it’s important that we raise the issues on beauty, conformity and standards. The truth is that too many of us Asian Americans struggle with the double-standard. We are a culture that is so ingrained in our roots, yet we live in a Western world with a completely different definition of beauty. I thought that the video was an interesting investigation into the definition of the problem, but there weren’t any solid solutions. Perhaps it is eluding that the solution is unknown. As cities become more multicultural, how do we define and accept our physical selves without having society dictate our definition of beauty. Is there a democracy in beauty?

Asian American Beauty - Female Body Image (Part 1 of 2)

Asian American Beauty - Female Body Image (Part 2 of 2)

More information about Calvin (creator of video): http://www.CUfestival.com/

There is no causal direction when we try to link low self-esteem with problem behaviour in youth (girls between the ages of 9-12). The idea of young girls being taught by birth that life is a pageant having to constantly be on a “stage”, being watched and judged by others is staggering. Unfortunately by just telling someone to have more self-esteem will not improve their sense of self-worth, because “the person would only feel better if they experience success in areas that they care about”.

I need to keep that in mind at all times when I’m thinking about this project. I need to ensure that I’m not making art that is simply just telling someone to have more self-esteem or the old thing of “be proud of who you are”. I think we could go one of two ways at this point. We could go the positive and empowering way by not using images of women and replacing them with images of recognizable objects, which would serve as a gentle reminder that perfection is fabricated.

How to portray that the entire media business is fabricated, that it’s nonexistent. It’s a fantasy that is created by people and business. I need to be able to show that somehow.

I’m very against using the woman in a vulnerable position at this point (differing from my initial departure point) from a fear and concern of her being seen in a negative point of view on top of all the aftermath. It would be redundant to show women in these positions as it would not serve to communicate the message that the “media is plastic” effectively. Having said that telling someone that they should feel more empowered and have more of something won’t do it- showing how something isn’t real would help it.

I need to find a way to show that someone isn’t real- How things work behind the scenes. How technology could create a different identity for one person. The glamour, fame and beauty that is portrayed by the media– all those perfect pretty things that shine, look and smell good. My images need to be in high gloss- they need to have that magazine quality to them. They need to be compelling enough to show the reality of everything – to shock and to tell the truth. Perhaps that’s the only way a person could truly be capable of seeing the truth that lies behind all these issues.

When I stumbled on websites that portrayed images of women who didn’t belong to the “ideal” body type I started to really hate myself because it was so difficult to just change my point of view about my vision of beauty. It still sickens me and I feel mortified at the fact that I thought they were living in denial, and that the woman being 500 pounds couldn’t possibly be calling herself happy and healthy. It just didn’t make sense to me. I immediately closed the browser window because I couldn’t accept the disgusting thoughts going through my mind.

Now that I come to think of it- maybe I don’t have a problem with what people consider to be beautiful, because deviants exist, and norms exists (omg deviance and normality again) – they exist because without them it would be impossible for humans to co-exist. Without agreements on norms we would end up with conflicts and strain. Strain on our society because we won’t be able to predict outcomes and formulate patterns… Right?

In this sense yes, but today it has reached its cap – the tension is rising from these norms (which are supposed to maintain society) and deteriorating our way of life particularly in women. These norms (standards of beauty) are now lowering self-esteem and causing added strain on women. Why should women feel embarrassed to try on a bikini? Alone? Even when women are alone they feel embarrassed- and that’s a fact. Why should women be embarrassed of their bodies? Would that then explain the reasons why professional women athletes are no longer allowed to change topless in locker rooms? What could an artist do to stop the bleeding? How would life be like if we continue with these? Perhaps everything would just crash and norms would be revisited?

There should be norms and a definition of beauty, of what we find beautiful, because generalizations do exist. The problem lies now because those standards are too high that even a little setback would cause adverse treatment from others, for example if person “A” got a bad haircut she would first of all know that she got a bad haircut, and then seek reinforcement from others that her haircut is indeed bad and that she needs to get it fixed. She then reads a magazine that will “tell her” what a beautiful haircut should look like, and since they all look perfect and flawless it becomes reality?

Calogero M, Rachel. A Test of Objectification Theory: The Effect of the Male Gaze on Apperance Concerns in College Women. London: William Clowes Ltd, 1972.

Download the full article here: http://www.actforyouth.net/documents/june_self_esteem.pdf

Other interesting facts/reads/theories: http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/book/links.asp?topicID=7 http://www.mediafamily.org/facts/facts_mediaeffect.shtml

Self-esteem (notes):
- causal direction is unclear, which means that they’re unsure if having low self-esteem causes youth to engage in problem behaviour or the other way around
–ex// Gang members have higher than normal self-esteem
- Ways to boost self-esteem
- Programs in 1960’s were designed to make youth feel good about themselves
- Don’t work on raising self-esteem for the purpose of reducing problem behaviour – this isn’t an effective strategy
- Telling someone to have more self-esteem won’t do it
- they will only feel better about themselves if they experience success in areas that they care about and are praised by people they respect
- Relationships with parents, friends social support groups
- Reducing disappointment

“Adolescent Self Esteem.” Research Facts and Findings os (2003): 1-4. 13 Oct. 2006 http://www.actforyouth.net/documents/june_self_esteem.pdf.

What I’m trying to talk about here is the morphed mirror. The notion that very media cookie-cutter idea of the “perfect woman” is not achievable. Even perfect women have insecurities, they don’t always feel adequate or that they belong. It’s almost everyday that we see someone we feel is perfect based on our ideas of perfection, but instead of walking with confidence - their body language signifies insecurity and lack of “something”. In my paintings I want to depict that insecurity that I capture that specific moment in time. I don’t think that I want to go the being a total activist route, but instead I want to be able to just gently surface that idea that even perfect women have insecurities, and that if we continue to allow the media to bombard us with these images we will no longer be able to feel happy with ourselves. There is no way or point to compare ourselves with the women in the media who dictate their lives into sculpting their bodies to make a living. We have things to do, and we have a life. I can’t really entirely blame the media itself, but it’s almost hard not to do that considering mass media is the only source of medium that glamorizes and rewards perfection. This idea seems too old, but at the same time it’s only too new for us to forget.

How Angela looked in those photographs. I have a tendency to take hundreds of action shots. In those I don’t even look at them until I get them transferred onto my laptop. What you see is surprising - these beautiful women who clearly seem to feel from their facial gestures, their body language that they don’t feel like they live up to the standards of our society.

I want us to relive those moments so that it reminds us that all these studies to do with how seriously inadequate women, for example if it’s a weight issue; that even when you do get to that desired weight- it doesn’t free yourself from comparing to others. Pretty girls feel bad too.