How Themes Change Future Work – Blog 2.
In both the ‘Better Lives’ lectures and the classes I have taken for this unit, there were many different themes that we discussed. In regard to the lectures, the topics that stuck out to me were ‘Power’ and ‘Diversity’ – As for the classes I attended (make-up breakdown), I was fascinated with exploring ‘imperfections’ through my work. I strongly feel that these topics can all connect and will change not only my future work, but the future work for companies and independent designers going forward.
‘Imperfections’, at least in my opinion, are very subjective. Society has created a standard of ‘beauty’, an image that is deemed desirable to many. This not only means that whoever doesn’t fit this ‘ideal image’ is seen as ‘flawed’, but that people in themselves grow self-conscious and judgemental toward those they see as ‘different’. This, of course, affects diversity.
These themes could change future work; and, to an extent, they already are. Many people are realising that the social constructs of ‘beauty’ are just that – social constructs – and are working outside of the box to produce ‘unique’ items and images that break the normalised ideology of what is ‘beautiful’. Of course, there is a long way to go to reach a completely diverse industry, however, we are already seeing more people of various shapes, sizes and ethnicities in modern media.
Having explored these themes in my work on this unit, I understand the importance of incorporating them into my designs and products. While I am not aiming to be a make-up artist or fashion designer in the future, I can ensure that I keep these themes in mind no matter what I wind up doing – Not just as a future employee in the industry – but also as a consumer, to help support all creators and groups of people as opposed to a small bracket.
With a new wave of designers comes new fashion trends, art and a shift in societal norms. With these themes, future work will greatly be impacted in a positive manner, and hopefully, due to this, we will see bigger changes to accepting and lifting those marginalised groups.
Photo attached: The make-up look I produced in regard to the ‘Imperfections’ work during our ‘Better Lives: Make-Up Breakdown’ class. It highlights imperfections using a medium that is supposed to enhance ‘beauty’; however, how do we measure what is ‘beautiful’ and what isn’t?