Our group watched the film “America the Beautiful” which was directed by Darryl Roberts. The narrator of the film in the earlier part confesses about a shallow decision he made a couple of years ago. Which was to break up with her and his shallow reason was because he thought he would find someone more gorgeous and perfect than she was. His decision to find someone better ended him with nothing but regret. As he found out that she eventually found someone other than him. And he started to wonder why he made that mistake and what was his shallow reason and noticed he wasn’t the only one who was shallow. And later as he investigates the people around him he notices that America has a big obsession with the unrealistic standard of beauty because of the media and advertisements that display images of perfect people. Did you know that some people start a diet starting from the age of 5? And did you know that more than 90 percent of America’s college students are on diets? This was an eye opener.
In the film they also bring up a problem which I personally never thought of. Did you notice how we see advertisements EVERYWHERE? And the bigger issue is that we don’t have a choice to not see them unless you’re locked up behind plain walls. I was so sad when I realized that because of this I have no way to protect my child from getting exposed to these things which might lead to her unconscious buildup of insecurities.
The film also focuses on a couple of people but the most shocking life story was that of a 12 year old fashion model who walked like a fully grown adult. Although she had nothing but bones and a little muscle was said to be too fat to model for a brand in Europe. And because of that incident she starts to have less confidence about her appearance as well. She called herself ugly at the end of the film when the narrator asked her how she felt. This film was truly a wakeup call to me. Because I knew I had these insecurities as well which I always try to overcome but end up feeling more insecure about myself as I watch the pictures and videos around me.
The way you have explained this documentary makes me want to actually watch it for myself. I know the struggles that girls go through as they try to find the beauty within themselves. This film seems like it really touches on the issue of advertisements pressuring girls to become impossibly beautiful. This issue is definitely important because advertisements are everywhere you turn. This film seems like a real eye opener to how America's idea of beauty is so unrealistic.
ReplyDeleteI also want to watch the documentary sometime too. And, I think the standards of beauty, insecurities, and low self-esteem are present in male as well as female. Just like bunch of advertisements promote the new standards of beauty for women, men also think what's masculine is all about appearance, such as tall heights, muscular bodies, and etc. We need to care about what's inside rather than appearance.
ReplyDeleteGood observations, Sharon. I'm glad the film was eye-opening for you. And Luke, thank you for bringing the male perspective into it. These pressures definitely aren't only imposed on women.
ReplyDeleteTo push back a bit in the other direction, though, what's good about the creative work of crafting an outward appearance? The way we look is one way we communicate who we are and what we love on the inside. Being creative with colors and fabrics can be an expression of the image of the Creator!