By: Alexa Bosco
By using magazine cutouts in a collage technique I have made a what is known as a “Zine”: short for magazine, a zine is a homemade work that brings to light a social issue. In this project I aimed to explore the growing mental health crisis and drastic increase in anxiety throughout many aspects of our lives, largely due to social media. Enjoy!
The Cover.
What Happened?
How did we get here? The growing rage of social media… Likes, followers, and posing can become an unhealthy obsession.
Everything’s seems “perfect” online.
When we are on our phones what do we see?
What does the media and social sites promote to use each day… Here are just a few examples from magazines today.
There’s a reason you can’t get out of your head.
Too often we find ourselves comparing our lives to other peoples on social media or models in magazines without realizing the damage we may be doing. Children and teens are especially impressionable.
Beyond Stress.
“If a person perceives all anxiety as pathological, that fear of fear is contributing to the disorder”
C. Wright Mills’ “personal troubles”? No, a growing public issue.
Many suffer in the shadows and feel alone.
The call to DESTIGMATIZE.
Tend to relationships, check in on friends and make mental health ok to talk about.
Public support and a movement to destigmatize would increase support systems for so many individuals.
Now What?
The goldilocks rule; not too little, not too much, but just right.
Solution? Through increased support from others, we can find greater balance in our lives.
Possibility: Use social media sites as a platform for destigmatization and as a means to support those in need.
Ending on a sweet note.
Sources:
Charles, Asheida. Critical Analysis of The Representation of Female Body Image in Women Magazines. GRIN PUBLISHING, 2016.
Cosmopolitan Magazine (November, January, February 2019-20 issues)
Vogue Magazine (March 2020 issue)
Time Magazine (The Age of Anxiety Issue)
“The Age of Anxiety.” Time, 2020. https://time.com
Inspiration:
This piece was inspired by a few pieces in the Sum Art Exhibit. Specifically, Daniel Feral’s piece “The Feral Diagram on Graffiti and Street Art“, Wendy Red Star’s piece “1880 Crow Peace Delegation“, and John O’Connor’s piece “Psychopath“.