Development of Ideas and Continuing Secondary Research

As I looked more in to the research I was finding, a lot of it pointed out to a group of people who were being affected most. It made sense seeing as I knew for sure they were the group most concerned with being in a relationship as well as prioritising their visual attractiveness to make sure this happened and this wasn't due to some vain, closed minded idea they had come up with themselves. It was due to pressure from an unfortunate gender role. As a woman, I feel like changing the project's direction is highly necessary for me to create a good outcome. Me never being in a relationship has usually, although I know isn't right, had me questioning my visual appearance more than the fact I am really just a shy person. Having to deal with four of my friends fall in to eating disorders also got me to a point of really just questioning why? 

In my research I found a few main sources which showed how women were more impacted by this idea that being attractive is something seen as worth obsessing over. 

First was an article from the Telegraph, stating that a study done by the University of Miami found that unattractive men were only 9% less likely to get married than conventionally attractive men, whereas unattractive women were 21% less likely. 

A short video of Dustin Hoffman talking about his role, as a man pretending to be a woman, in the film Tootsie reveals an epiphany he had during a make up test. He is upset to find that they can't make his character look more conventionally attractive and realises that this shouldn't be the priority of his character. He knew that his character was very interesting but if she isn't beautiful, can she not be taken seriously? Hoffman then explains his realisation that he's probably missed the chance to get to know so many interesting women, simply because they weren't attractive enough and therefore there was no point at the time to get to know them.

This reminded me of another short video of Lupita Nyongo's speech at the annual Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon. She talks about the days as a young girl when she would feel ugly because of the dark colour of her skin.
'I couldn’t believe that people were embracing a woman who looked so much like me, as beautiful.'
She says in reference to her witnessing the model, Alek Wek coming in to the spotlight at a time where beauty was only represented with white and light skinned faces. It's a perfect example of seeing is believing but also she goes on to explain that by getting over this milestone, of feeling beauty on the outside, she can then feel her beauty present on the inside. 

So, looking back to Lena Dunham's character in Girls, perhaps we need to represent different girls as men have been represented for a lot longer and treat it as not a big deal. It shouldn't be used like how so many mediums have used conventionally beautiful people to make money. Perhaps it just needs to simply be there.