I'm climbing on my soapbox today... be forewarned!
I've never really bought into the mainstream media's and Hollywood's definition of "beauty". Or the "ideals" they promote. While I do feel that we've definitely evolved and now bear witness to a much more diverse range of "faces" in the media than I experienced as a child.... I still feel as though, on the whole, the same ideal continues to be being chased by young girls.
I have always felt a bit different, in that I am a Caucasian woman who is not blonde, blue-eyed, and slim. It's made my "place" harder to locate and I'm still hard pressed to find media role models that I feel reflect my build and look. When Jennifer Lopez appeared in Selena, I could barely catch my breath. Could it be? A woman with HIPS and BUTT wearing skin tight white pants and causing a sensation? Yes, it was a triumph and a sigh of relief. But JLo is Hispanic and reflects a body type many Hispanic women have. As a "white gal" with some mediterannean features and a figure the origins of which I cannot pinpoint, I'm constantly questioning where I belong. Then there was Beyonce, who is both Caucasian and African-American -- but her hips have always been attributed to her black roots. It seems as though every time a white celebrity appears that I even begin to feel I can identify with, they whittle themselves away (Kelly Clarkson, Jenna Von Oy....).
I know that we are social beings and look for comfort in familiarity. I've looked for that familiarity and have not found it. This is perhaps why why I've always been a bit different from the general public in my outlook. I've developed into a person who finds true beauty in diversity. I am mesmerized by the uniqueness of a person's face, I gravitate towards defining features, I revel in what makes a person stand out.
Think about it for a second. What is real beauty? At the risk of sounding like a preachy DOVE ad, really think about it. If we all looked the same (or made efforts to achieve this sameness), would the world not be a boring, generic place?
Reflecting on the teen girls I see out there, a disturbing homogeneity becomes apparent -- the platinum-blonde-streaked hair, the eyebrows plucked into rail thin arches, the caked on makeup (especially black eyeliner) that doesn't necessarily flatter their unique complexions and colouring. I can appreciate the struggle to discover one's place in the world (ah, those memorable, tumultuous adolescent years!) and discovering one's identity. It's a phase we all go through in our quest to find ourselves. But how do we go about teaching and promoting the EMBRACING of our uniqueness as opposed to the pursuit of sameness?
I've had daydreams/nightmares about a society 100 years in the future where all diversity and variety has vanished. We're seeing it happen with the Big Box stores and globalization and gentrification. But the power of Hollywood and Paris Hilton reaching further and further, who's to say this universality doesn't one day affect the very appearance of the human race?
It's not fair to knock Paris. In many ways, I do respect that she maximizes the way she looks (although who knows what "look" she was actually born with). She hasn't gone the way of Barbie and inflated her chest, and actually WORKS WITH the fact that she is a thin, small chested woman. There's something to be said for that. However, she still does represent a singular beauty standard that we are seeing rippling througout the world.
My personal nightmare: a world of clone-like women. Which would explain why making films with diversity are so important to me. Maybe I won't change people's opinions, but I'm giving voice and exposure to women that I choose to identify and celebrate.
It is what makes us DIFFERENT that makes us BEAUTIFUL.
This has become my motto.
Tatyana
I've never really bought into the mainstream media's and Hollywood's definition of "beauty". Or the "ideals" they promote. While I do feel that we've definitely evolved and now bear witness to a much more diverse range of "faces" in the media than I experienced as a child.... I still feel as though, on the whole, the same ideal continues to be being chased by young girls.
I have always felt a bit different, in that I am a Caucasian woman who is not blonde, blue-eyed, and slim. It's made my "place" harder to locate and I'm still hard pressed to find media role models that I feel reflect my build and look. When Jennifer Lopez appeared in Selena, I could barely catch my breath. Could it be? A woman with HIPS and BUTT wearing skin tight white pants and causing a sensation? Yes, it was a triumph and a sigh of relief. But JLo is Hispanic and reflects a body type many Hispanic women have. As a "white gal" with some mediterannean features and a figure the origins of which I cannot pinpoint, I'm constantly questioning where I belong. Then there was Beyonce, who is both Caucasian and African-American -- but her hips have always been attributed to her black roots. It seems as though every time a white celebrity appears that I even begin to feel I can identify with, they whittle themselves away (Kelly Clarkson, Jenna Von Oy....).
I know that we are social beings and look for comfort in familiarity. I've looked for that familiarity and have not found it. This is perhaps why why I've always been a bit different from the general public in my outlook. I've developed into a person who finds true beauty in diversity. I am mesmerized by the uniqueness of a person's face, I gravitate towards defining features, I revel in what makes a person stand out.
Think about it for a second. What is real beauty? At the risk of sounding like a preachy DOVE ad, really think about it. If we all looked the same (or made efforts to achieve this sameness), would the world not be a boring, generic place?
Reflecting on the teen girls I see out there, a disturbing homogeneity becomes apparent -- the platinum-blonde-streaked hair, the eyebrows plucked into rail thin arches, the caked on makeup (especially black eyeliner) that doesn't necessarily flatter their unique complexions and colouring. I can appreciate the struggle to discover one's place in the world (ah, those memorable, tumultuous adolescent years!) and discovering one's identity. It's a phase we all go through in our quest to find ourselves. But how do we go about teaching and promoting the EMBRACING of our uniqueness as opposed to the pursuit of sameness?
I've had daydreams/nightmares about a society 100 years in the future where all diversity and variety has vanished. We're seeing it happen with the Big Box stores and globalization and gentrification. But the power of Hollywood and Paris Hilton reaching further and further, who's to say this universality doesn't one day affect the very appearance of the human race?
It's not fair to knock Paris. In many ways, I do respect that she maximizes the way she looks (although who knows what "look" she was actually born with). She hasn't gone the way of Barbie and inflated her chest, and actually WORKS WITH the fact that she is a thin, small chested woman. There's something to be said for that. However, she still does represent a singular beauty standard that we are seeing rippling througout the world.
My personal nightmare: a world of clone-like women. Which would explain why making films with diversity are so important to me. Maybe I won't change people's opinions, but I'm giving voice and exposure to women that I choose to identify and celebrate.
It is what makes us DIFFERENT that makes us BEAUTIFUL.
This has become my motto.
Tatyana
