My semester project proposal has changed entirely. I decided to put together a video for my semester project. It will be based on disorders that result from body image and how the male gaze plays a role in causing these disorders.The disorders could be physically, mentally, or both. Disorders that will be included, but not limited to, are: bulimia nervosa, anorexia, depression, body dysmorphic disorder, and suicidality.
The male gaze is something society has been dealing with for ages. It objectifies women and manipulates these women into thinking that they have to meet certain standards in order for men to be attracted to them. The video will showcase what these "standards" are. These standards are the reasons why body image disorders exist. Women on the thicker end of the spectrum feel like they have to change in order for men to notice them. In some cases, it also gets to a point where these girls turn into victims of bullying. I will include my own experiences with this topic in the video. I have dealt with one of these disorders and have defeated the disorder before it defeated me (thus, meaning that the video would of course be personalized). I have never actually talked about the war I had within myself, but there's always a first for everything.
The video will consist of short clips from documents, YouTube videos, my own video segments, pictures, and paintings as well as their artists.
I decided to create this project because I feel like there are a lot of people out there that are dealing (or have dealt) with this same issue and I wanted to reach out to them. Most of the time, the audience would be young females who are struggling to accept their appearance because they don't fulfill the idealistic views of their male counterparts. I want to let them know that they are not alone, and that they can conquer their disorder before it conquers them. Unfortunately, this project does not fit into my professional aspirations because I want to be a pharmacist and body image is not essential in this field of study. However, this project does attack the issue that we see every day. If successful, this project video could be an inspiration to all women, or men, who suffer from these disorders. Who knows, it could even save a life.
The male gaze is something that probably won't go away in a few days, years, or even ever. However, the way we think of ourselves can be controlled, but no one other than ourselves. This project will hopefully display that idea.
This project was inspired by My story: Struggling, bullying, suicide, self harm by Amanda Todd. Unfortunately, she is no longer with us. Thus, is the reason why I decided to change my project proposal. I want to prevent something like this from happening.
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ReplyDeleteThis sounds interesting, especially to a psychology major like me! I think tackling these issues is very important because we live in a country where the rates of obesity AND anorexia are at their highest. Surprising? Not really! Anorexia has a high co-morbidity rate with depression, which I believe stems from a distorted view of one's self. And your negative self-view is undoubtedly perpetuated by society's impossible standards of beauty, don't you think? What we need to do now is embrace all body types and SHOW it, but that's easier said than done!
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