As artists/art teachers don't many of us strive to
produce images that are beautiful, using artistic
license to change reality so that it is more pleasing
to the eye? haven't people decorated their bodies
with paint, tattoos, scarification, ornaments,
throughout history?
i appreciate the opportunity for thought + dialogue
the dove ad has presented. it is not a simple topic to
explore, though. to me it is not evil to wear makeup,
alter photos, or have beauty ideals (which research
has shown to be somewhat hardwired into our brains).
the problem is tunnel vision, that our society "sees"
one aspect of a person, like physical appearance or IQ
score or athletic ability or artistic skills - or lack
of - and makes a decision about the value of that
person based solely upon a single attribute. society
discourages us from taking time and effort to assess
people based upon the many, varied, and complex
aspects of their humanity. how can we address that?
