Not one to shy away from talking about issues like body image, sexuality and the perception of beauty, Melanie Murphy has created a short film, tackling why we share the images we do on social media.
Why Do We Pose? instagram, Deception & Beauty Ideals begins with the point that no one picture can tell the whole story of who you are or even what you look like. Take Tinder for example: you are swiping left or right depending on your perception of that person, from the pictures they have chosen to share with you.
Melanie points out that internet personalities are in a unique position to share how multifaceted they are as human beings. The pictures on her own feed, for example, can range from being posed to being candid, from glamour to make-up free, trying to dispel the beauty ideals we are fed as a society.
One of the most interesting parts of the video is the visual portrayals of beauty standards not only throughout the years, but the various beauty ideals that countries around the world hold on to today. As Melanie says, it ranges “from person person, from skinny catwalk models of the 90s to Disney princesses and Barbies to bleach blonde women with big fake boobs. to the curvy models who dominate Instagram and magazine covers today.” The evolution of what we perceive to be beauty is forever changing making it something unobtainable.
Moving away from history, Melanie then talks about the internet era and how, thanks to advanced technology, we now know exactly what it takes to create the perfect picture. From the angles to the lighting, we can create an illusion of what we look like. We have to admit we have been prone to stop and take a picture simply because there was good lighting.
So why do we hold these beauty ideals so closely to our senses of fulfilment? Melanie believes there is an element of trying to fit in. She goes on to say how social media has allowed us to curate what people can see more than ever before. Candid pictures for instance – you can be “the most beautiful people in the world and still look like potatoes” when taking a candid picture. For example if we went on a night out and were tagged in a picture where we looked we were in a bit of a state, we can simply untag the picture or delete it. Here at TenEighty, we’re definitely guilty of this!
Body image and insecurity is something we all struggle with at some point in our lives and it is nice to see the charismatic Melanie Murphy spill the tea on such an important topic in such a genuine and informative way!
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Struggling for inspiration? Film Prompt Society might be just what you need. Alternatively, Emily Anna and Becca Winkler tell us what they wish they’d known in first year.
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