Define Beauty

For my project I plan on creating a YouTube video. I will create a piece of artwork to reflect my ideas of beauty, I will record myself painting so you can see the progress and struggles when I paint. I will speed up the footage to keep viewers attention. Along with the footage of my painting I will show my work to a few women, ask them what they think, and record their responses. I plan on having a list of questions to ask these women, and will also record their responses. Ultimately I want a viewer to think about how they perceive beauty, and make them question what the media deems beautiful.

When I paint figures, I try to base them off of myself. I show the curves, the rolls, and things women might be uncomfortable with, including myself. I use odd colors and angles to represent imperfections. Painting is my way of coping and attempting to become more confortable with my body.  Lately I feel more subjected to medias view of “perfection”. And it has started to affect the way I look at myself. I was never one to judge myself or worry how my body looked and compare it to bodies in the media. It has slowly crept up on me, and I spend a decent amount of time worrying about my body, how it doesn’t look like it “should”, how I can change it, and how long it will take. This has been a very self-deprecating time for me, and by using art as my outlet, I want to love myself, and I want to take other women along with me. Not only do I want to change, but I also want to encourage others to see that the media tells you to hate yourself and change it.

I am hoping to create an environment of sorts for women to feel comfortable, where they wont be judged for looking a certain way. I know how it feels to be silently judged for not looking a certain way. I want women to be ok and accept their bodies, and if they want to lose weight or change habits, to do it in a proper manner, the right way.

Some sample questions:

·      How do you raise your daughter to feel comfortable with her body?

·      How do you think the media treats women?

·      Do you feel bullied by media?

·      Has anybody ever judged you on your appearance?

·      Define beauty.

·      How do you feel about young girls worrying about their weight?

·      Why do you think media uses primarily one type of woman in commercials? (Light skinned, thin, fair haired, etc.)