Jun
30
2014

What Beautiful Looks Like In 25 Countries

Beauty lies in the eye of the editor

What Beautiful Looks Like In 25 Countries

What does a beautiful woman look like? Depends whom—and where—you ask. When reporter Esther Honig bravely offered up a photo of herself to 40 photo editors in 25 countries on the site Fiverr, little did she know the results would be so varied.

According to an article in the Huffington Post, as part of a collection called 'Before & After' Honig saw herself transformed through the cultural lens. The most radical transformation, possibly, came from Morocco, which cloaked Honig in a Hijab.

"For me it really added depth to my project by touching on the concept of religion and custom, not just aesthetics," said Honig.

Add or delete makeup, lighten or darken skin tone, reshape eyebrows... Honig saw her facial features modified in a way that sometimes "made me shriek."

The US's version looks vaguely supernatural, like something out of the Twilight saga. My personal preference is for the more natural take by Venezuela.

So beauty, it seems, truly resides in the eye of the editor.

Is Photoshop, and other editing software, a revolutionary tool for "[dispelling] the myth of a singular beauty norm"?

Which rendition of Honig most resonates with your own ideals of beauty? Does that ideal coincide with your home nation?
 
 
 
Jun
30
2014

'Princest Diaries' Aims To Raise Abuse Awareness

Artist Puts Disney Princesses In Compromising Position

'Princest Diaries' Aims To Raise Abuse Awareness

A controversial awareness campaign called 'Princest Diaries' that depicts Disney princesses sexually abused by their fathers has viewers divided.

According to an article in Think Progress, the Middle Eastern 'artivist' known as Saint Hoax aims to raise awareness of familial abuse by using popular Disney princesses as subjects.

Ariel, Aurora and Jasmine are shown respectively fending off the advances of their dads.

Though the project has the laudable aim to "encourage victims to report their cases in order for the authorities,” Saint Hoax has been given shade for the medium.

In addition to citing an outdated stat on the posters (“46 percent” is derived from a 1992 Department of Justice study), Hoax's treatment may be overly simplistic for young children, who may not understand what "reporting" a crime actually entails.  

Yet the Princesses could resonate with an older set—born through the '80s and '90s—nostalgic for Disney.

Obviously incest is a taboo, and the success of any awareness initiative depends on making the public uncomfortable.

“I was extremely hesitant about posting the series. I feared that it might be clashing with Disney’s principles,” Saint Hoax said via an article in Mommyish. “But today, just one day after publishing my posters, I received an email from a girl thanking me for the project and telling me that she decided to report her father after seeing the posters. I actually cried. You have no idea how glad I am now that I actually published the series.”

Given the above, is this campaign effective or simply misguided?
 
 
If art is no stranger to controversy, then this project certainly caused its share of tongue-wagging.
 
 
Jun
27
2014

KidsFest 2014: Breaking A World Record For A Great Cause

Largest Sculpting Session Ever

KidsFest 2014: Breaking A World Record For A Great Cause

wanda clay

Want your kids to do something groundbreaking and fun this summer? An art studio in Toronto hopes to land its name in the Guinness Book of World Records while raising funds for a worthy cause.

If Wanda’s Creative Clay has its way, the "largest sculpting lesson" the world has ever seen will take place at this year's KidsFest. Held on July 5 on Toronto Island, KidsFest could see some 500 kids playing with clay, beating the current record held by 315 Swiss school kids.

According to the press release, funds raised will support Eden’s Angels, the SickKids foundation set up in honour of Eden Worth, who fought a long battle and sadly died of a brain tumour at age 13.
 
The GreedyGiver.com campaign has so far raised $2,600 of its $7,500 goal. Visit the page to donate. 
 
Contact Rob Linley to register your child for this fun charity event.

The site that makes it good to be greedy.