i feel, i think, i write....school essay.

hello.

it's Wednesday and the start of fall break for me and my sweet girl-----a little break from school, which is nice.

i'm pretty sure i'll be studying the majority of the long weekend, but i'm okay with that.

i'm trying really hard at school and studying like a mad woman.

i have been stressed out beyond belief, but am so grateful for the busyness and distraction school brings---i don't know how i would be coping without it.

so for my English class i have written a couple of essays.

for the last one we were instructed to write a "Visual Analysis Essay", and i chose to write mine based off a picture i found through a friend's news feed on Facebook.

it's a subject that means something to me, and that is close to my heart because i've lived it.

my dad thought i should share it here, on my blog so people can see what i've been up to at school.

i debated on whether or not to show the actual picture the essay is about, or just let my words do the describing.

i decided to post the essay first, the picture at the end.

so here it is.

(p.s.  i haven't gotten my grade back yet, so i can't tell you if it's good or not......either way, it is what it is...)

Innocence Cut Short

The image I have chosen to analyze is a photograph I came across through a feed on my Facebook wall.  This photo immediately grabbed my attention, to the point where I couldn’t focus on anything else.  The image is shocking.  A little girl, roughly ten years old, sits nearly naked on the littered floor of a dingy room.  Green streaks tinge the wall, highlighting cracks running down the length of the concrete and alongside the baseboard.  The young girl, with long, dark, wavy hair falling across her semi-exposed body, sits cross-legged amidst photos of fashion models strewn haphazardly across the wooden floor.  My eyes were first drawn to the middle of the image.  A small cherubic hand grips a pair of scissors---large, heavy, metal shears as big as the girl’s forearm, creating the framework for the picture’s focal point.  Her right hand firmly pinches her midsection, grasping a fold of soft pale skin.  The little girl looks down at her stomach, ready to cut her own flesh as the scissors come into contact with the portion of skin she clings to.  The sharp lines of the blades point like an arrow, directing your attention to the pure whiteness of the child’s innocent skin.  Her face appears forlorn.  Sad.  Defeated.  The colors of the photograph are cool tones, dark and drab.  The photo contains no warmth; setting the tone of overwhelming sadness and depression.

This image invokes a variety of emotional responses from me.  Sadness, disgust, frustration and empathy are a few.  The photographer’s intent is to bring to light the fact that our society is sending---particularly sending young, impressionable girls---a very clear-cut message:  you aren’t good enough the way you are; your body needs to be “perfect” in order to be loved and accepted.  This message is not only sad and disturbing, it’s a lie!  “Perfection” is an unattainable goal, yet society lures us into believing it can and should be achieved with its airbrushed and digitally altered images of “ideal beauty”.  Young girls see these images and fall under the spell of their deception. 

I feel empathy for this girl; I was this girl.  Anyone who buys into what society is persistently selling is in some way too, this girl.  We may not sit in the same dingy room or physically hold scissors in our hands, but the same emotions exist---disgust, loathing, and an overwhelming sense of inadequacy for not being “good enough”.  These feelings are our internal scissors.  Self-hatred, negative self-talk, and sometimes hazardous eating disorders become the tools we use to “cut” ourselves.

By taking this picture, the photographer wants to generate awareness in his audience surrounding this issue.  The image forces its viewer to become aware of the shaming nature of society and the media’s unrealistic portrayal of beauty and perfection.  In a very powerful way this picture shows the effects that the media can have on young, impressionable girls whose minds are being shaped and molded by everything they see and hear.  Using a child as the subject, the photographer appeals to the emotions of the viewer.  The concept of such young innocence bombarded by adult expectations is alarming, as it should be.  The color scheme accurately represents the psychological tone the artist wants his audience to experience.

This photograph aims to trigger a strong reaction from its audience.  While important and vital in regards to spreading awareness, exposure to such a bold image could also be problematic in certain situations.   For those who have not yet been tainted by society’s push towards “perfection” and “ideal beauty”, this photo might open the door to such thoughts and expectations.  Young susceptible children, still unblemished by the world’s unrealistic demands, need not be introduced to such negativity any sooner than necessary.  The photograph runs the risk of lending ideas to the discouraged viewer seeking methods to injure him or herself. 

Powerful and effective, this image brings awareness to the issue the artist has chosen to reveal so boldly.  It becomes disturbingly clear by assessing this photo that destructive messages saturate the media and when ingested, become like a toxin to our souls.  When viewed by a mature audience, this image can have advantageous effects.    Awareness can breed change.  However, discretion should be used when it comes to young children, weighing the benefits and the risks of exposure to such material.  The photo struck a chord with me.  It successfully prompted an intense array of emotions, fostering a desire to personally strive to bring about more awareness and change to these significant issues.