When we address the diverse issues of feminine beauty, wow are we in for a long haul… On the Monday night panel, discussion over the art of Miwa Yanagi 3 different photograph series was overall very interesting. Each panelist was interpreting and adding their own views about her art and women beauty. Everyone seemed to love the series of ‘my grandmothers’ and with great reason; each photograph presents a different issue of life to all women. To ask your subjects, to imagine their life in the future, wow! The strong one that is memorable: Yuka. She is a very adventurous old lady, she rides with her way younger man, her red hair in the wind, and have just a blast! Who would think of an old lady, a grandmother to be this active and full of life and control?
We need to really wake up and get past the young and thin beauty that Hollywood and the media keep pronouncing every day. From the image of the commercialize feminine beauty the great majority of women idolize being young, being thin, and just you typical flirty ‘kind of gal’. It is true what the one panelist said, that by conforming to the proverbial image of perfection of beauty, then society will praise the effort and accomplishment in being ‘beautiful’.
The one concept that really caught my attention, not only because it was the last presentation, but because it was about Japanese not conforming to what society expects of all women. Japanese women are to be mothers, produce more beings to keep the economy going. But instead they are ‘Parasites’ who are single women who choose not to marry or have kids. These single women do splurge on whatever they want for themselves, so in turn they are considered ‘selfish’. Being selfish is not a very bad term; they can accept who they are for themselves. Does not sound like a bad philosophy at all to me. Maybe someday we will have more minds for women to be selfish and not conform to what society desires. Aging is a natural process for all humans, but for women is a process that most will dread. But someday, with hope some may embrace and enjoy the wisdom of life that comes with aging.
-RA
