Acceptance of Romanticization
Sloo G.
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To explore the topic of ingenuity and the glamorization of social media, I took under the topic of self-harm and how it is presented within aspects of the media. Within my art piece titled "The Acceptance of Romanticization," there is a woman who lies in a bed of spring daffodils, the flower of self-love; moreover, she is covered in painted-on hydrangeas, a flower that is dramatic and yearns for attention, with self-inflicted cuts. On her neck, there are repetitive phrases of pleading to not be sexualized but romanticized. What I wanted to convey with this artwork is the idea of how young humans, especially young women, are entrapped by the media trope of where self-harm is beautiful and shall be praised. From this entrapment stems a fascination with exemplifying their self-harm as the pivotal focal point of their life; they are constantly infatuated with their idealized cuts. However, within my artwork, I wanted the woman to be surrounded by daffodils due to her acceptance of finally recognizing she fell into the media's trap. Whilst she does have fresh cuts on her body, she is realizing she needs self-love and throws away the "fake hydrangeas." Having the daffodils in a different medium and allowing them to be "3-D" aids the viewer to understand that the woman is being encompassed by self-love and she is desperately trying to accept it. Through my artistic process, I wanted to deconstruct these invented societal norms for beauty, specifically for women, and paint the reconstruction of it. I yearn to de-contextualize; further, I want to inspire others to realize, if they have fallen down this trap, that there is light at the end of the self-deprecating cycle. When I was a child, I, unfortunately, walked right into this trap- I was invested in this glamorization of self-harm. As a teen, I was extremely embarrassed about being tricked, which led me to hide my self-harm scars. Recently, I have grown to have a fondness for my scars, guiding me to create art that illustrates the bizarre beauty standards many, if not all, women go through and are expected to go through. I include it in every painting of mine. Expressing my personal experience through my art is vital; my art is my therapy and I yearn to show it off to the world, just in case someone thinks they are alone in their experiences. Through the various colors and incorporation of different materials, I pine to celebrate the human experience. I want my viewers to treasure life and their personal beauty. I want them to be satisfied with their beauty- even if they think they do not contain the "conditional beauty standards." Value the mess of the human.
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Expressing my creativity through my art is a necessity in my life; furthermore, it is how I discern my emotions. The creativity that flows out from my art is like writing in one's journal- it is my catharsis. Exploring my creativity allows me to reign control over how I react in social situations.
