The grass is always greener on the other side. This project is about our body and how confident we feel in it. It is about insecurities that come from comparing ourselves. We live in a time in which social media is becoming a more and more important part of our lives. I grew up in the time that social media was new. It was interesting and innocent. People didn’t see the dangers of it. It was just exciting. Me, as a teenager who was already insecure and still discovering how my body felt, was very influenced by the images I saw. The ideals presented to me were confusing. Feeling like I would only be happy when I achieve to be the same as all those ‘perfect’ girls (perfect in my eyes). Luckily I have parents that would tell me every day how beautiful I am inside and out. Even though I grew out of these thoughts, they still come back once in a while. “Oh I wish my belly was a little more like this.” Or “I want to have eyebrows like her.” These thoughts are something we can not escape. Two years ago I felt I needed to express myself because I felt trapped. The self-portrait video is about this feeling. A feeling of wanting to hide yourself because you feel like you are not good enough. It’s almost as if you have two personalities, the one you present to the world and the one you keep for yourself. I knew this work had to be continued, it wasn’t finished yet. So a few months ago, I started to notice my sister’s behaviour and it was fascinating to me. She just turned 15 years old, and she compares herself to everyone around her. This girl has a prettier nose, this girl has thinner legs than me, etc. This is where the title comes from. I never really noticed how much impact it has until I began observing her.
I wonder, is the growth of social media going to be an obstacle for self-confidence in her generation?