images are superficial . and tyrannical. a model speaks

Technology may be neutral  but its uses can be tyrannical. The  Camera and its images  are most certainly that. Tyrannical !

They are tyrannical in the way that they are used. Used to mould our very ideas of  not just what we should look like but how to be happy in the images they create for us. 

 The camera's Images are not just superficial  descriptions of surfaces, they are dangerous in their lack of true depth   

What follows  is from the mouth of someone who made a career facing the cruelty of  cameras and their creations.

'Totally uncomfortable' ... Not as sexy as it seems.

"In this picture, I had never actually had a boyfriend in real life. I was totally uncomfortable, and the photographer was telling me to arch my back and put my hands in that guy's hair."

This is the surprising revelation Victoria's Secret model, Cameron Russell, made about the image above - just one of the many sexy-looking shots she has appeared in.

Image is powerful. A universal language of sorts, images evoke emotion, can mobilise the masses and even change the course of history.

But, images are representations, not reality. And representations of what our culture deems as beautiful or not can have a profound impact on our lives. The attractive are more likely to be employed, be paid more money, obtain loan approvals, negotiate loans with better terms, and have more handsome and highly educated spouses.

"People ask me... 'What is it like to be a model?' And I think the answer that they're looking for is, 'If you're a little bit skinnier and you have shinier hair, you will be so happy and fabulous,'" she says.

"If you are ever wondering, 'If I have thinner thighs and shinier hair, will I be happier?' you just need to meet a group of models, because they have the thinnest thighs and the shiniest hair and the coolest clothes, and they're the most physically insecure women probably on the planet."

But so powerful is image and our perception of what it represents, it permeates many people's sense of self-worth. Seductive or repulsive, image has a stranglehold on our society. We know it's superficial, that it's rarely real and yet we are fixated by the image of ourselves and others. And how harshly and quickly we judge it. 

But, we also need to recognise the infatuation with image that we have in our culture.

By cultivating more awareness, perhaps we can tend less towards the harsh critiques of ourselves and others. And we can beware of attaching too much meaning to mere image; assuming that 'pretty' means right, good, worthy and that 'ugly' means wrong, bad, unworthy.

Cameron Russell suggests this starts with acknowledging the power of image in our perceived successes and our perceived failures.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/beauty/the-power-of-image-20130131-2dm3k.html#ixzz2K188jZub