REPRESENTATION:
- 'the description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way.'
- 'the action of speaking or acting on behalf of someone or the state of being so represented.'
I wasn't really sure how I could relate this to my research question and essay topic in terms of visual culture. I thought the most relevant way would be the representation of people suffering with mental illness in film and TV, although this seems difficult to present in a visual way.
This is an image from the film 'To The Bone' which follows a girl suffering from an eating disorder. I think the representation of someone with an eating disorder in this film is extremely damaging, as solidifies the misconception that you have to be underweight for your illness to be 'real'. Many people do not realise that you can suffer from eating disorders without any outward sign of it. Also, the protagonist (pictured) is represented as beautiful and the eating disorder present is almost romanticised, this could be very harmful to those already suffering.
