I wanted to devote a few double page spreads of my magazine to different issues that I also feel strongly about and think need to be highlighted. I wanted to show a bit more diversity within my magazine and not just solidly focus on the rights and inequalities of women. I am going to add an article about black rights and also the rights of animals as I feel that these issues are also really huge and have, in recent years, been coming into light. This will also make an interesting change in my work and will show another side to my style of work. I really do feel strongly about all three issues that I am going to have in my magazine and believe that each of them are so important and we should really look at them much more than we do. I feel that when people don’t want to get in ‘too deep’ or don’t want to disturb the peace they tend to glaze over these subjects, ignore them and pretend they aren’t there but really all of these issues are right in front of us and we need to start making changes now and we can’t keep on ignoring issues that affect all of our everyday lives.

Embracing black culture

I wanted to make an image about embracing black culture but also being there to fight for the rights for those people who face inequalities. I am constantly seeing black American citizens being ridiculed and attacked just for being black. They face police brutality and always seem to be at the receiving end of their fists. I have never really understood why people discriminate at someone simply because of the colour of their skin. It just seems so stupid and small-minded to me. I would never look as a black person, or anyone for that matter, and think that they are ‘below’ me. I see everyone as my equal and I feel that the rest of the world should see that too. I came across a song by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis entitled White Privilege II and it really made sense. Through this song they express how white people will happily adopt the culture of black people, dress like them, take their music style and yet when it comes to standing up for black rights many white people take a step back and stay silent. This is something that I don’t understand is why wouldn’t they stick up for what is right? I feel that people are in fear that they might get hate or that what they are doing is fine and that there aren’t really any problems. This is wrong, just like feminism people are afraid of it and are unwilling to help because it will make them stand out and some people may try to put them down and tell them that what they are doing is wrong but there is nothing wrong with wanting and fighting for equality. We need to understand that everyone is equal and that we cannot stay silent and just allow these inequalities to persist. The fight for equality doesn’t only lie with women and that is what I want to express through my magazine by adding pages with other unequal parts of our society and highlighting the change that we need to create a better and more equal world.

For this double page spread I am adding into my magazine, I want to have the right page filled with an article that I will make expressing my opinion as well as some facts and statistics about black culture and the way black citizens are treated in the Western world and on the left page I want to create an image of myself wearing a head wrap to show me embracing black culture and to make it really stand out I want to add a caption or slogan down the side, more of a statement that will stand out and make my spectator stop and want to read the next page to find out more about the image and to really understand the message that I am putting across. I have wanted to create an image like this for a while as I feel that it is so important to understand, especially with the constant news reports making worldwide news from America showing white police brutality on black citizens. I chose to wear a head wrap because it holds so much meaning. Before researching I didn’t know much about the head wrap and why African (American) women wore them. I’ve even seen celebrities like Beyonce wear them. After doing some additional research into the meaning behind it I found something very interesting. The head wrap was given to black slaves in America by white American’s who used it as a way of saying that they are owned by them and as a badge of enslavement. This was a way of belittling black people and making them feel less than equal and to show that they were slaves for someone else. It has now evolved into something much more than that, black American’s have taken it back and are embracing their descendants and to show that the head wrap is not a symbol of enslavement but rather a helmet of courage that has evoked an image of true homeland. It has become a uniform of identity and more a uniform of rebellion signifying their resistance to inequalities. I find that the head wrap holds such significance in black history and it really empowers women to embrace their culture and to be proud of who they are. I wanted to add this into my project because it is so strong and I want my entire magazine to be filled with strong and clear images.

Meaning behind the head wrap –  http://char.txa.cornell.edu/griebel.htm

Standing out against animal testing

For a few years now I have really been made aware of animal testing on products. I find it all so barbaric and just cruel. In the past testing on animals has been a part of doctors finding out more about our own anatomy but then they moved on to testing on corpses and opening them up to see what is inside. In the beginning testing makeup products on animals may have been acceptable because mixing chemicals together is risky and really we don’t know how they could effect our bodies, yet part of me wonders why make these products if you can’t be sure that they will be safe on our skin? I really do question current animal testing. We now know what works on our bodies and skin types so why are they continuing to test on animals? The answer lies with marketing, many makeup brands want to be able to sell their products in China and in China in order to be able to sell any products they need to have proof of testing on animals. This is disgusting and unnecessary. There is absolutely no justification in torturing a animal just so you can make more money on your products. I choose not to buy these kinds of products but it can be difficult to tell whether or not products do use animal testing which is why often those that don’t will have that as part of their packaging and marketing, for example all lush products are cruelty free. Starting in the 90s a lot of makeup brands stopped animal testing and decided against it until a few years ago when a large parent company, Estee Lauder, decided that they wanted to branch out to China for more profits so this meant re-introducing animal testing. Under the umbrella parent company of Estee Lauder is companies such as Mac cosmetics, Smashbox, Bobbi Brown, Benefit and many more. There is only one makeup brand that I know of that does not use any animal testing at all and that is Urban Decay. I admit that I do have products from Mac and Benefit but I got these products before I found out about the animal testings that are going on and I won’t be buying any more of their products again, unless animal testing is stopped. Some companies don’t surprise me with the use of animal testing like Chanel and Dior as their clothing obviously uses leather and real fur, they make their money off of stripping animals of their skin and selling it for thousands of pounds. I will say that I have leather items and I do eat meat so some part of me does use animals. However, I will not use or wear products that have been tested on animals. They get tortured, burnt, blinded and starved all for a lipstick that you might wear once or twice a week. I can’t stand the amount of testing on animals and the fact that many people aren’t really being exposed to this annoys me because everyone should know and see what is going on behind the scenes and how these animals are being treated. Animals that are tested on include: rats, mice, hamsters, rabbits and sometimes dogs. A lot of people will say ‘their rodents it doesn’t matter’ but again is there really any justification AT ALL for torture? How can we allow any form of life to be abused in the way that these animals are. I really hate it and think that it should be stopped.
For my shoot idea I want to create a double page spread I want to make images in an ad campaign style with myself as the model posing for the camera but with my hair slicked back with blood and blood covering my hands to show the real effects of the makeup and clothes that a lot of women (and men) wear. I want it to be hard hitting and for my spectator to really think about themselves and what kind of makeup they carry around with them. I wanted to show what it makes me feel like to wear products that have been tested on animals. The reason the blood will be in my hair is because there are also so many hair products that use animal testing and the blood in my hands will add more effect and create a strong image. I also wanted to create an image of a woman walking down the street wearing a fur coat holding bags from companies that do use animal testing. I just think that this will bring in more context and be an interesting image for my spectator to look at.

Animal tested brands (Source): http://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/companies-that-test-on-animals/

Article on animal testing protest: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2134555/Lush-animal-testing-protest-Woman-subjected-experiments-horrified-shoppers.html