Abstract
Beauty Impossible: Breaking the Barriers of Beauty and Self Image is the written academic explanation of the installation Community, which is a series of blind contour line drawing portraits that depict individuals existing in the life of the artist, Emily Burcham. Both the creative body and research focus on the societal ideal for beauty and its impact on the average person. This is explored through the historic context of the art canon which would visually influence Community, and then through a modern lens looking at the origins of societal commercialized beauty culture. Beginning with a technological boom in the 1920’s, the media has encouraged women to mimic what is seen in movies and advertisements. This is also influenced by colonialism and the power plays that happen when a population is displaced by an outside force. These issues are so deeply rooted in global culture, that children have internalized ideas about how bodies should look and begin worrying about their body size at as young as 5 years old. This is combined with the media distorting what teens believe the average person looks like, to the point where there is cognitive dissonance when they are confronted with the actual human body. The internal effect of this is the inspiration for Community, which aims to show audiences that there is beauty in imperfection.
Semester/Year of Award
Fall 2022
Mentor
Melissa Vandenberg
Mentor Department Affiliation
Art and Design
Access Options
Restricted Access Thesis
Document Type
Bachelor Thesis
Degree Name
Honors Scholars
Degree Level
Bachelor's
Department
Art and Design
Recommended Citation
Burcham, Emily R., "Beauty Impossible: Breaking the Barriers of Beauty and Self Image" (2022). Honors Theses. 929.
https://encompass.eku.edu/honors_theses/929
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Community1.jpg (727 kB)
Community2.jpg (1379 kB)
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