MEDI 114 (Subverting Image: Critical Evaluation)

Critical Evaluation:

We chose to focus in specific on the weight issue within the modelling and celebrity world. We did extensive research on our subject and collated it into a presentation. I started off the project with researching ‘Twiggy’ because her appearance in the fashion industry not only changed the way fashion lovers imagine a perfect model, but it also changed the general understanding of how  a woman, should look like; replacing the curvy pin up girl with a thinner look. This spiralled vastly out of control and as a result the media and especially the modelling industry is rife with eating disordered and has sparked a very startling trend of anorexia with many young girls making ‘Thinsperation’ videos and aspiring to be like models and celebs. The question of how thin is too thin has been prevalent since Kate Moss made her modelling debut 20 years ago, ushering in an era of "heroin chic." In 2006, at least two models died from complications linked to eating disorders, which prompted some in Europe to try to ban skinny models from the runway. Kate Moss herself is cited to encourage the skinny trend coining and using a new ‘buzzword’ of ‘rexy’ a combination of anorexic and sexy as a positive affirmation of how thin her and her friends look. Other models and celebs yet still follow this trend with increasing fervour, with many teen models confessing that they starve themselves, purge or use diet pills. We had a huge amount of ideas including having models peeling off their skin to symbolise that she is losing herself in the quest to be thin. Also we had ideas such as an Image of a model with bones exposed –to emphasize upon the thin look being unhealthy. There were also some ideas we had that we dismissed fairly quickly like having a mass production line of models and photoshoping their heads on Barbies but we wanted to focus on anorexia. We did produce our idea of photo shopping Victoria Beckam into the picture of Venus and although the image looks really good we feared that it may be pitched over the heads of the general public, the image can really be viewed and interpreted in one of two ways. The way we did not want it interpreted was in a positive light that we feared was all too easy to do. I think that it would require a vast amount of editing to make our point and even then I fear it may not. In the end we decided to go with an idea inspired mainly by the quotes "There is no torture that a woman would not endure to enhance her beauty” -Montagne. Our final idea is based on the quote “The resulting hallucination materializes for women as something all too real. No longer just an idea, it becomes three-dimensional, incorporating within itself how women live and how they do not live: it becomes the iron Maiden.” So we did a huge amount of research on said iron maiden and decided to combine it with an anorexic model for a very shocking image.  We could have possibly been more adventurous with Photoshop but I wouldn’t really change the image since it’s very shocking and proves its point. Our group all worked really well together and it was a pleasure to work with them, I really enjoyed this project.