Advanced Life Drawing : Project #2: Brainwashed

Jade Smith

ART 311

Cindy Rhem

Oct. 16, 2017

“Brainwashed”

I found inspiration for my graphite piece entitled, “Brainwashed” while researching about female body images and artists who have taken on this subject in their work. My research led to several inspiring female artists who have addressed this issue head-on in their creative work. I’m very passionate about highlighting our culture’s obsession with the “perfect body” and its negative effect on women and young girls. In our culture, the ideal female body is tall, thin, and possesses a voluptuous chest and rear end. The media has set the standards so high that the “perfect” body is unattainable for most everyone, which has left many women and girls with physical and mental disorders. As an aspiring artist, I would like to highlight the beauty in every body – thin or curvy. Lauren Greenfield is a renowned photographer who has won awards for her work addressing the private worlds of American girls today. In her book Girl Culture, 100 photographs reveal how the girl culture has changed into that of an exhibitionist. The photo on the cover of her book says it all – a young girl trying to make her chest appear bigger because her size isn’t enough. Maureen Connor is another artist who confronts traditional views of women by drawing attention to body size, gender, and age. Thinner than You (1990), evokes a powerful message by depicting a ridiculously tiny black dress on a thin pole representing the human body. Another piece of Connor’s work shows lingerie being stretched and pulled, which provokes the viewer to contemplate the unreasonable criteria established for a women’s appearance. Katya Grokhovsky, another feminist artist, provided ideas for “Brainwashed.” Grokhovsky has received a lot of attention for One Fine Day (2013,) a photo of a heavy-set girl with text on her t-shirt, which shows the shameful ways that women’s bodies are discussed. Her performance, One Fine Day (2013) utilizes textual descriptions of her body to encourage the often disgraceful and sarcastic ways that people talk about female bodies. L.A. Raeven, are twin sisters known for challenging the fashion industry and the pressures placed on women at work. A photograph from their film A Dream helped to inspire my drawing depicting a young girl appearing in the mirror dreaming that she could look like someone in the magazines. Ivonne Thein’s series Thirty-Two Kilos (2008), or 70 lbs., was an eye-opener. Although the photographs were unsettling, they had a huge impact on me. Thein brings attention to the ultra thin bodies shown in the fashion magazines. Her photographs have been altered to make thin women appear even smaller. These women are shown in model poses and they are wearing very little and they wrapped in medical bandages.

Girl Culture