Digital Artwork Research
My concept for this artwork is based around cyberbullying and the ever changing, toxic standards of beauty, by portraying two female individuals, who are trolled because they do not match beauty stereotypes advertised on social media platforms, either holding too much weight or not enough. I will also be acknowledging organisations who can provide support to those in need mentally and emotionally. My objective is to demonstrate that certain people may never be content in their own bodies, and such unhappy people will go out of their way to project their negativity onto others via cyberbullying. It is therefore safer to learn how to be comfortable in your own skin than to be anxious with other people's ever-changing views based on the ever-changing beauty standards. This will serve as a mental health campaign poster of becoming your own kind of beautiful.
(resources used are Harvard referenced in project
proposal) - I first started out with researching different
types of body positivity illustrations by creating a
creative mood board within Pinterest,to serve as an
inspiration in terms of design and possible colour
scheme.
For the purpose of this artwork, I chose and researched Demi Lovato and Zendaya Coleman to portray as the two female individuals as I was always fascinated by them on my television screen growing up, and I had never noticed anything “wrong or off” about their appearance, so it was interesting to see how other people viewed and judged them solely based on their appearances and because of the position they each held. Following my research, I noticed that Demi Lovato had opened up about her overdose, which took place in 2018 after many years of dealing with eating disorders since a young age, substance abuse/addictions which started in her teens, then to coming out as queer within the constant pressure of being an exceptionally famous individual. 30 - and I am sure Demi did not go through all that without being watched and judged by millions due to being a household name since her teens. Meanwhile, Zendaya Coleman has been fortunate enough not to deal with self - image issues (she puts this down to her upbringing, self-respect and self-love)28 ,although since she was young, she dealt with people making fun of her slender body image, which she has always been able to ignore or argue off. Despite both growing up in the media spotlight, they've had different experiences with body image.
I started research for the title of my artwork through
Pinterest. I came across a title that was similar to the
title of my artwork and it caught my eye(pic.2). I came
up with “Your body is not flawed, society is!” after
pondering various ideas(pic1). The purpose of this
title is to help you feel at ease in your own skin, as
beauty standards and the public view of beauty are
always shifting. I proceeded to brainstorming body
positivity-related messages/quotes, which I did again
using Pinterest, where I discovered a variety of
messages, but only selected a handful and will apply
using my graphic tablet.(pic3)
To finish off my research, I began exploring different mental health organisations, which help those who struggle with their body image and overall mental health issues relating back to social media and western society expectations. The mental health organizations I have chosen to portray within my digital design include MIND, The CyberSmile Foundation, BEAT & Samaritans which is an organization I have previously used myself. I chose these specific organisations as it correlates with the topics of my Final Major Project perfectly in terms of dealing with online hate abuse and body image (eating disorders), anxiety and a range of mental health issues.
The first mental health organization I chose to shed light on is The CyberSmile
Foundation, which is a worldwide registered non-profitable charity founded in
2010, which specialises in all types of bullying and abuse online. Their mission
is to support those affected and change negative behaviors, via in order to help
this and prepare further generations for a safe and positive digital future as
“we believe that everybody should have equal rights to access and enjoy our
connected world.” The CyberSmile Foundation
My 2nd choice is MIND which is an organisation which is based all overthe
United Kingdom (UK). Their objective is to support and empower those who go
through any type of mental health issues; they run many campaigns to improve
mental health services, raise awareness around mental health. They also work
alongside local MIND services, each of which are independent charities, which
provide help via talking therapies, crisis helplines, drop-in centres, employment
and training schemes and counselling 37. MIND also has an online community
called ‘Side By Side’, it allows you to talk about your struggles comfortably and
connect with others day and night 38.Additionally, they provide help with helping
others, everyday life, legal help. MIND also has a separate space for blogs, where
stories of mental health experience are shared and with the support and funding of
BUPA UK Foundation to help MIND’s Children and Young People Information
programme, there is support available for young people and their families. I chose
this organization as I and MIND share the same belief that every mental health issue
deserves.
The 3rd organisation I chose is BEAT, which is the UK's eating disorder charity.
Founded in 1989, BEAT works to support those suffering with an Eating
Disorder (ED), as they believe “with the right treatment, recovery is possible
and the sooner treatment starts, the greater the chance of recovery is.
” Statistics show that nearly 1.25 million people in the UK deal with a type
of ED, most of which are kept private. Eating disorders steal childhoods,
ruinrelationships and can pull families apart. Eating disorders are serious
mental illnesses that ruin and, often, take lives. BEAT provides a national
and online helpline which runs 365 days a year, which serves to help
people understand their illness, providing skills and advice in order to
empower people to step towards their recovery. They also provide help
for those denied help and information, which can be reported via a
formal complaint towards the NHS, as well as chat rooms, and workshops
for a range of ED related issues. Additionally, BEAT provides help for
friends and families of those suffering or recovering as well as running campaigns
to create an awareness amongst health professionals and to lift the stigma around
ED and to provide funding for the correct treatment.35
The final organisation I have chosen is the Samaritans, which is
an organization which I have utilised before. This organization is
essentially a 24/7 helpline, which can be accessed via call, post,
email, text or the self-help application. They provide support
with any type of issue and also want to help prevent the issue
beforehand. Their aim is to “be there for anyone who needs
someone” and to lower the number of suicides taking place
in the UK as well as protecting lives. As someone who has used
their services, I can say they follow out on their values, which are
support, respect and trust. The Samaritans have been running
for over 65 years, have over 20,000 volunteers and 150 branches
over the UK and Ireland, they recently started working in schools,
prisons, hospitals and with Network Rail to prevent suicides on
the train tracks. They also run fundraisers and campaigns
including coffee mornings, marathons and many other things
based on real-life stories, listening to others and saving lives. As the world develops, so do Samaritans as they are currently working on an instant messaging service to help connect with the younger generation. 36
Harvard Referenced Bibliography For Research Of Digital Outcome:
26. Levine, N., 2021. Demi Lovato Opens Up About The Roots Of Her Body-Image Issues. [online] Refinery29.com. Available at: www.refinery29.com/en-gb/demi-lovato-body-image-issues [Accessed 23 May 2021].
27. Mazziotta, J., 2019. Demi Lovato Slams Body-Shaming Headline: 'I Am More than My Weight'. [online] PEOPLE.com. Available at: Demi Lovato Slams Headline [Accessed 22 May 2021].
28. Hou, K., 2016. Zendaya on How to Love Yourself and Your Hair. [online] The Cut. Available at: Zendaya on How to Love Yourself and Your Hair [Accessed 23 May 2021].
29. Komar, M., 2016. Zendaya Responded To This Skinny Shaming Tweet In A Tasteful & Inspiring Way. [online] Bustle. Available at: Zendaya Responded To This Skinny Shaming Tweet In A Tasteful & Inspiring Way [Accessed 22 May 2021].
30. Nytimes.com. 2021. How Honest Can Demi Lovato Be?. [online] Available at: How Honest Can Demi Lovato Be?[Accessed 23 May 2021].
31. Ironson, S., 2017. Zendaya's Advice For Fighting Off Cyberbullies Is So Simple But So Effective. [online] Elite Daily. Available at: Zendaya Gives Advice For Fighting Off Cyberbullies [Accessed 24 May 2021].
32. Cybersmile.org. n.d. Body Image – Cybersmile. [online] Available at: Body Image – Cybersmile [Accessed 25 May 2021].
33. Cybersmile.org. n.d. Who We Are – Cybersmile. [online] Available at: Who We Are – Cybersmile [Accessed 25 May 2021].
34. Cybersmile.org. n.d. What We Do – Cybersmile. [online] Available at: What We Do – Cybersmile [Accessed 25 May 2021].
35. Beat. 2021. About Us. [online] Available at: About Us [Accessed 26 May 2021].
36. Samaritans. 2021. [online] Available at: Samaritans | Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy | Here to listen [Accessed 26 May 2021].
37. Mind.org.uk. 2021. What we do. [online] Available at: What we do [Accessed 28 May 2021].
38. Sidebyside.mind.org.uk. 2021. Side by Side | A community platform by Mind. [online] Available at: Side by Side | A community platform [Accessed 26 May 2021]
