New Reflections Presents...: WHAT IS PERFECTION?

Hey Everyone,

As part of my university course, this term we are in the middle of a unit called 'Student Led Project'. For this unit we have the option to devise a piece of theatre, create a workshop or write a play. My group, which involves five other members have decided to create a Theatre Company called New Reflections. New Reflections aim to produce a innovative piece of educational theatre for secondary school key stage four students. The performance will be focusing on the effects that social media have on body image.

This is a topic that I feel especially interested in as I believe it is something that effects all of us. My career as an actress expects me to be and look a certain way, which keeps me obsessing about my body and the way I look.

The moment I log into Facebook or Instagram my newsfeed is overloaded with images of perfectly toned bodies with hashtags like #fitness and #mydreambody. I'm constantly coming across tips on ways to get the perfect bod, but the thing I want to discus is what actually is this idea of a perfect body? Who decides this?


For ages I've been bombarded with images of celebrities with big boobs and skinny frames and perfect hair. This vision of 'perfection' has even influenced my idea of beauty, leading me to consider having my thinner lips pumped and going under the knife for a pair of bouncy fake boobs. Why do I want this? Because according to the media, having the perfect body can bring you success and more chance for a love interest. 

During an exercise in rehearsals our director asked us to think of a celebrity that we particularly liked. We were then asked to create a diagram using all the reasons we chose that celebrity and what it was that made us idolise. After reflecting on this, I noticed that the majority of my reasons were based upon what that celebrity looked like.

Before working on this project, I had never really thought about the effects the media has our ideas it this in depth, but. I have come to realise the poisonous effects that mass media plays in influencing our ideas. Just the other day I was flicking through Instagram when I came across all these pictures of skinny celebrities with the hash tag #skelfie ('Skinny Selfie'). I couldn't believe it, is this really something that we should be promoting? Encouraging young people to be to excess dieting and going to the gym nearly five days a week. 

I'm hoping that this performance will encourage children and teens to understand that what they see in the media and on social networking sites such as Instagram is not realistic. Many of these photos are photoshopped and just because you may be skinny, this does not mean you are healthy. If anything it could be seen as the complete opposite. 

Within seconds of typing in Google beauty or perfection I found thousands of images of celebrities with the so called 'perfect body', big boobs, teeny tiny waists, tanned skin, plump lips. I mean even Kylie Jenner who is no older that 18 has had her lips injected. It's scary, but at the same time I can understand why we believe this. Celebrities are under just as much pressure to look 'perfect' as us normal folk are. 

Since I found out I would be moving to LA in July, I've felt tons of pressure to alter my appearance to fit in with this stereotypical idea of Hollywood. Why does society think that this is the image of Hollywood? My answer simples it's because it's in every magazine, all over the Internet and on the television. We are surrounded by this view of beauty and perfection. 

After browsing through my Facebook I came across this article from Perez Hilton showing a letter of grooming rules from a sorority house in California. I've always been mesmerised by this idea of a sorority house, after seeing it in almost every teenage magazine. However after reading this post I was disgusted...

Set of rules for a Sorority House in California:

(Photo taken from: perezhilton.com)

This idea of polarity is very much formed around the way in which we look. Many people feel that if they don't look pretty or attractive then they will not find a man or have friends. One comment we noticed with our research that came up on many occasions was that 'if you don't look goo, your personal and social life suffers'. Things like this is what is forming these ideas into our minds making us have unnecessary insecurities.