Month: November 2020

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Imaginary Body Illustration 2 / Nov. 2020

“If it’s not human, I wish I were a cat. I could live a leisurely and carefree life. The appearance of the cat is also very beautiful, with the big eyes and small face. Every time I see a snow mountain, it will evoke the mood of peace, happiness in my heart. It is just like the visual expression of some kind of inner yearning. I also like sunflower very much, it represents the sunshine, freshness and optimism. The clouds are very beautiful as well. They are light and bright, with different colors and shapes in the sun. When I was a child, I liked horses very much. I liked the illusion of free running.

I hope I can overcome my fear of water and swim freely in it, so maybe I can have a fish tail. If my fingers are vines that can be stretched freely, I can stay where I am and get what I want at any time, avoiding unnecessary tedious labor. If I can, I want an angel like big wings, which can wrap my whole person, so I will feel very safe.

I like my hair the best. It’s thick and dark. I have a silver bracelet that I’ve worn for many years, and it seems to be part of my body. I must sleep holding a stuffed toy, regardless of the specific image (elephant, cartoon donkey). I hope I am: kind, interesting, sunny, lovely, easy to get along with, sweet and cool, independent.”

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Imaginary Body Illustration 1 / Oct. 2020

This illustration is the first attempt. After I had an interview with myself, I visualized the information I got and translated it into this picture. It represents what a spiritual “I” might look like if I could really get rid of the physical and aesthetic constraints on the body.

“If not a human, I want to be a pigeon. It will be very light to have feathers, but I want a more colorful appearance, such as having color spots on feathers. It can also be some kind of insect with delicate transparent wings.

If I can choose the function of my body, I want to be able to fly. Maybe I can also have a lot of heads and arms, so I can handle a lot of things at the same time. One more wish, if possible, I want to be able to control my weight at will, because this number brings too much frustration .

I like my eyes. They have good shape and look. I like my smile, but I don’t like my laughing, it make me look a little silly. My favorite animal is the cat. I once had a kitten with black spots on his nose. I still miss him. It’s hard for me to emotionally connect with objects, but good-looking notebooks always make me happy. Sports can make me forget about my appearance for a while. I like cycling. I never have to worry about how I look when I ride. It can give me short-term freedom.

My expectations for myself are: young, gentle, strong, independent and mysterious.“

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The Body Image Drawing Tool & The Interview / Sept. 2020

What do you think of your body? How did your views affect you? What kind of person are you internally? If you can change your body at will, and let your personality, emotions, and qualities you value externalize into your physical appearance, what are the possibilities of your body?

The theory of “self objectification” of “body image” holds that when people (more shown on the females) observe their bodies, they tend to internalize a “imaginary third person perspective”, which makes us pay more attention to physical characteristics when considering our body, rather than our subjective feelings as subjects. Based on this understanding, I designed an interview (including a tool for drawing subjective “body images”) to help people reflect on their relationship with their bodies, and through a series of “imagination” questions, to guide people’s attention from “how do I look?” to “how do I feel?”

The-Body-image-ToolDownload

InterviewDownload
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Body Image Research / Aug.- Sept. 2020

Analysis and comparison of the existing body image measurement methods

Introduction:

Body image refers to the individual’s cognition and evaluation of his body. It is the earliest part of individual self-consciousness and an important basic part of self-identity. It involves the individual’s view and evaluation of his appearance, physique and physical fitness. It is multi-dimensional and multi-level, and shows different characteristics with the growth of individual age. At the same time, body image is influenced by social culture and the evaluation of important others.

In psychology, medicine, philosophy, feminism and other disciplines, there are different theoretical analysis of body image, and explore the important elements that affect people’s body image. At present, important theories include social comparison theory (Festinger, 1954), social culture theory (Thompson, 1999), objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997), symbolic interaction theory (Mead, 1934). There are many measuring tools and methods about how to test people’s body image. These related theories and methods, as well as extended related concepts, provide insights for my next step of design, and helped me to generate my own “body image measurement tool” and possible design directions in the next step.

  • The model of self objectification theory: what identity are we when looking at our bodies?
  • The model of symbolic interaction theory: external culture and values shape our view of our bodies.

How I turned these theories into design inspirations:

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Loli’s Day : Visual Concepts / July-Aug. 2020

Loli’s Day: As a critique of the cuteness-oriented “Loli style” aesthetics, the core issue of this project is how to use visual techniques to achieve it? In the process of concept generation, I try to redefine what is feminine cuteness with women as the main body, so as to reshape the connotation of the festival and show its resistance. Young, disempowered and flawless female appearance (lollipop) as the standard of cuteness can be broken by sharp, uncomfortable, imperfect visual elements (thorns).

Process Drafts:

Final Concept: The Lollipop with Thorns/ The Uncomfortable Licking

The Brochure Design