A visit to any French magazine kiosk will illustrate the extent to which French men and women are just as preoccupied as Americans, if not more so, by body image, physical perfection and beauty. A trip to the pharmacy, supermarket or specialty shop will put you front and center with the widest selection of pills, creams and gels boasting miraculous powers to fight visible signs of ageing, banish cellulite and reduce appetite to foster weight loss. The global mass media leverage widespread body insecurities (which are heavily influenced by big corporations, advertisers and marketers) to promote goods and services we’re made to believe are crucial aids in helping us become the best versions of ourselves, regardless of how unattainable the “best” might be.
Poor, rich, young, old, educated, uneducated – men and women all over the world are susceptible to succumbing to the persuasive and often underhanded messages diffused by the media and big business. Elena Rossini, my friend whom I have previously featured on this blog (Interview and Video), has been working to obtain funding in order to begin filming her documentary, The Illusionists about the commodification of the body and the marketing of unattainable beauty around the world.
In June, she launched a Kickstarter campaign which seeks donations of $10 or more from the public to fund her project. In just two weeks,152 backers made donations, raising half of the $33,000 goal. Here’s the Kickstarter catch: if she doesn’t raise the full goal amount by August 5th, she will lose the donations and the backers will see their pledges returned to them. This is why she needs your help!
I have already made my donation but I want to encourage others to do the same so that we may see this film get made. If not for ourselves, then for today’s children who will grow up to be influenced by the same messages and propaganda that have driven us to a toxic obsession with our bodies. The film has the potential to become an invaluable educational tool.
Donating is easy and the steps to do so are clearly explained HERE. Please consider making a donation of even $10 (open to backers worldwide) – the production and diffusion of this film could mean the eye-opening trigger to legitimate change in perspective and might even beget action.
Think you’re not impacted by the media? Think again. Watch the video below for a preview of the project as well as for information regarding the style of the film and why it is a unique project. If she achieves her goal, Elena will begin filming interviews in the United States this September. Help make this happen!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:Information regarding the project
30 reasons why Elena Rossini is making The Illusionists
The Iconography of French AdsBadvertising: Mommy Makeover Surgeries in Dubai
Body Shaming in France
Sex Sells, They Tell Us, But What Are We Really Buying?
{If you are reading this article in your email, please click HERE to view the video}
{Photo courtesy of Elena Rossini}
