Integrative Seminar 2

BridgeProject2_Seminar

Is the usage of makeup due to its long history of perceived beauty or merely commercialism and societal expectations or both?

Strengths:

• I get to look into the history of makeup, how eyeliner/blush/other products came to be which links to years of idealized beauty.
• “Perceived beauty” I can look into western versus eastern perceptions of beauty.
• I get to also compare that to what is considered beautiful currently. Look a little more at how commercialism plays a significant role into what is considered beautiful.

Weaknesses:

• Its like a lot of different topics to focus on
• It doesn’t really focus on the topic of makeup and it focuses more on psychological and historical perceptions of beauty.

Has commercialism and societal expectations damaged our self-esteem so much that we rely on makeup as a necessity instead of an accessory?

Strengths:

• This really focuses on the topic of makeup and how we tend to rely on it to change our features instead of enhance our features.
• I also get to talk about how makeup is advertised and how it plays on our societal idealizations.

Weaknesses:

• I don’t get to touch on the cultural aspect of beauty (Western vs. Eastern)
• It’s hard to talk about self perception because it’s so different for everyone.

While observing Dashae on Wednesday, I noticed the object that was most important to her was her camera. Of course for most people it is an expensive object and thats why it would be considered “precious” so to speak, but I think there was so much more to it than that. Our generation is so obsessive over the idea of updating their social media so there is a lot of importance on picture-taking in general. Picture-taking today has reached a whole new level where it’s more about “enhancing” what is in front of you, so your essential goal is to make everything look more beautiful, more fun or more appealing than it actually is. Its all just part of your social media identity. But going back specifically to the topic of the camera, which produces ultra high definition photos already gives that kick-start to the enhancement.

Dashae is very active on social media, she has her Instagram account and her fashion blog so she constantly has to update it to keep her existing followers interested and get more followers. Sure everyone has a notion that social media is directly linked to one’s vanity when it comes to taking selfies and photoshopping ones self to look perfect but it can also be an outlet to express ones creativity and ideas. In my personal opinion fashion bloggers incorporate both of those ideas, the one where perfection is key and the expression of creativity. There is a huge aspect of blogging that is all about the visually appealing aesthetic otherwise why would people view the blog. And in order to grab that attention, the photos on the blog have to be eye-catching and high definition and the actual thing that is being photographed has to be interesting as well. She not only photographs her outfits but she has a ‘lifestyle’ and ‘parsons’ page, she captures events that she attends and work she’s done and things that inspire her, so basically almost everything.

She told me she loves to “capture memories” which is a whole other aspect of social media and the camera is the tool that helps you do that. Its almost a crazy concept that you can take a snapshot of what you’re experiencing in the current moment and have a physical representation that you can look at in the future. That physical representation presents the person with the visual cues they need in order to be nostalgic and the ability to relive a moment. Whether thats in the form of a simple picture or a video, its the most effective way to recall a memory. Most humans respond better to visual cues than any other sensory cues when it comes to recalling the memory.

In my opinion, these are the reasons why the camera possesses such “mythic” qualities, because of its direct correlation with the usage of social media and capturing of memories. Its one of the most valuable features on our phones and tablets. There are so many different types of cameras, lenses, and photography equipment because we belong to the generation that is obsessive with documenting everything, whether its for creative or personal purposes or both.