I want to apologise for the lack of posts this year. So why has it been a while?
Well a lot has changed in the last few months. Not personally but in the world around us, especially what has been happening in the United States.
Anyone who has a social media account or keeps up with current affairs will not have missed the infamous Access Hollywood tape or failed to see the #MeToo hashtag trending. These are just a couple of events out of many others that have made me think about the role art and culture have played in the way women are seen in modern society.
What does it say about beauty and the acceptable look for women getting older? The natural lines on their faces removed for the Hollywood stamp of approval.
It would be easy to dismiss this as a trivial advertisement but for the people who walk past the poster the message is loud and clear: Women, this is what you should look like.
Why should it be this way? Why should women spend a fortune every year on make-up to prevent the unstoppable fact of time? Or even worse, go through the pain of cosmetic surgery to remove those lines.
I don’t see men being targeted for these products. Has any man been cut open to stuff some artificial product into his chest to improve his pectoral muscles?
In my quest to explore what is going on and where this is heading I’ve been immersing myself in a lot of books. It is a complex subject with many ideas, theories and opinions.
The greater the understanding I have, the more critically I have been examining the work I have produced so far. There is no harm in taking the time in gaining knowledge, so hopefully I can create better and more thought-provoking work.