self
/self/
noun, plural selves[selvz].
a self-portrait facilitates the construction of the self-image through self-representation, as well as the recognition of the impact of the gaze of others in this process
A self-portrait can be an instrument to get to know oneself, a way of exposing our body but it also manifests the feeling and the intimate way of being. A self-portrait is a map of your intimate world, a statement of intentions, a testimony about who you are and how you show yourself. Self-portraits also express our need for permanence and it is a metaphor for identity, and self-portraits transform and dismantle the canon of beauty. Not all self-portraits are of the physical self. Self can be inferred or represented by other visual imagery.
“During the past decade, women breached the power structure; meanwhile, eating disorders rose exponentially and cosmetic surgery became the fastest-growing medical specialty. During the last five years, consumer spending doubled, pornography became the main media category, ahead of legitimate films and records combined, and thirty-three thousand American women told researchers that they would rather lose ten to fifteen pounds than achieve any other goal.
More women have more money, power, scope and legal recognition than we have had before. Still, in terms of how we feel about ourselves physically, we may actually be worse off than our unliberated grandmothers.”
—Naomi Wolf
