WHAT
Body shaming is the area I want to research.
I want to address the problem of Chinese women who have been criticized from the perspective of Oriental aesthetics and patriarchal society tends to objectify themselves and harms emotional well-being.
After research, I narrow down the field where everyone would be affected that body-shaming also through the use of advertisements.
I want to make a beauty advertising campaign and my main question is “How to change the body dissatisfaction of Chinese women influenced by mainstream advertisements through graphic design?”
WHY
I chose this theme because of my own experience. When I was growing up in China, people around me always judge my figure, including friends and family. These external criticisms caused me inner anxiety. I try to eat less, keep fit, to reach others’ perfect standards.
When I came to UK, no one ever judged my appearance, people in the school are also free to wear what they want. I realized that I had been bound by the “standards” imposed on me for a long time.
I found that there are also some advertisements for body shaming outside of China, like “The Perfect ‘Body'” in an ad by Victoria lingerie, but the photo that accompanied the slogan sparked social media outrage. People challenge beauty standards in their own way, like change the slogan “Are you beach body ready?” to #each bodys ready.
I hope to find Chinese women’s own way to fight the standard of perfection, at the same time to help Chinese women build self-love and confidence.
HOW
Because of corona, it was difficult for me to find models to shoot their bodies, so I decided to look for materials from magazines and websites in the advertisements and redesign them.
First of all, I chose Chinese young women around 18-24 years old who on average consumption level and being influenced by advertising as my target audience. I’m going to look for some controversial advertisements and interview my stakeholders by questionnaire about how they feel when they see them and find out why they’re offended.
Secondly, by collating their feedback, I can understand what my stakeholders need and what I need to do for them.
Thirdly, determine the form of my work, such as photography or graphic design. After finishing the preliminary conception of the work, I will show it to my target audience and got some feedback for improvement.
WHAT IF
It’s easier to change a woman’s own attitude than to change someone else’s perception.
If my work can help women realize the attractiveness of different bodies, it can help female build up their confidence and break the shackles of the male-dominated society that objectifies women.
When we can’t change the eyes of the judge, it is important to build self-love and try to not let negative comments bother you, both for myself and my stakeholder.