Eating Disorder/Body Image Series
I began this investigation aiming to explore womanhood. To me, part of being a woman means having a disproportionately large emphasis placed on the body. The inordinate weight placed on women’s bodies can lead to self-objectification and feelings that all you are is your body.
For many the the pressure to achieve the idealized body creates a vicious cycle of shame and striving, which often ultimately culminates in disordered eating or an eating disorder. I explore this topic using repetition in wearable art, as patterns are a large part of eating disorders and the body is a central focus. My guiding question evolved to be the following: How can I make wearable art using repeated food items to speak on the effects of pressure placed on women’s bodies and eating disorders in women?
Project 1: “Cleaned to Shreds”
I used food napkins to create a corset to show the restricting nature of eating disorders. I created a messy texture with napkins which are ordinarily used to clean. I did this to show the paradoxical nature of an eating disorder’s attempts to clean ourselves up
Project 2: “On Guard”
I used knives to show how eating disorders can be used to guard us from shame. I used plastic knives, specifically, to represent the fragility of these measures. I used line, pattern and symmetry to represent the repeated, obsessive aspect of these self protection measures.
Project 3: “You Look Splendid”
I used Splenda packets to comment on the suffocating impacts of diet culture. I experimented with color in this sculpture (the others in the series are neutrals) to represent the initially alluring nature of diet culture and its false promises. I use a more organic form to show the Splenda crawling up my neck, beginning to suffocate me.