Supermodel

I ate it all- plastic, diamonds and sugar coated arsenic.

Mentally clutched, doubled over in acidic defeat, surrounded by dulled and darkened hues and an array of what were once destined to be bold and envious colors: I am caught. I have been seized by my work, ensnared by my craft. The cameras flash without cessation- no mercy, no consideration, and no remorse. The moment must be captured: such a cultural icon, such a representation of all we are and all we are told to be, must be in her moment of weakness. Blinded in shame, throwing up a poem about consumption that she, in her haste and senseless frenzy, had consumed; the supermodel is something to behold.

Snap! goes the moment; a photograph is time travel.

I am stopped dead in my tracks, but for beauty I will gladly feed my life.

And amidst the double handed efforts of the cameras and flashing, a single comforter reaches out to help me. Unknowingly, I almost reach out to be helped; I crave a familiar face, even if I haven’t seen it before. I need a face that understands, a face that forgives me. I almost reach out towards that face when I realize that there are no faces and I am entirely alone in the face of a huge enemy. The mints were not for the good of me, but rather for the good of the story brimming on the surface. The mints are to freshen me up and stand me upright so I can speak the words I know they want to hear- and then I will be done and they won’t care anymore. None of them. Not even the ones who handed me the mints.

                                                                                                                                                           

Supermodel is a multilayered, culturally savvy and artfully crafted piece by Dutch artist Nick van Hofwegen, with the original concept and contained poem by Los Angeles based musician Mark Foster. Each person is struck in a distinct and particular way upon hearing the term “supermodel”, and this piece serves as the sharp perfect counterbalance to those impressions.

We live in a supermodel culture. Everyone is constantly pining for their miniature bouts of fame and recognition, and self-worth seems increasingly measured by how many Facebook  likes and Twitter retweets are received. Though convenient, instantaneously gratifying, and tempting as can be, such self-indulgent habits (excessive social media, a society that pushes the importance of fame/status, and “selfies”) are thin and misleading, ultimately causing far more harm than good.

Everyone wants to be a supermodel. Rather, everyone thinks they want to be a supermodel. Recognition, good looks, money- these are the foundations of success as pushed on by our western world.  However, these don’t lead to any long-term sense of happiness of fulfillment. Often enough, they tend to produce the opposite: an endless chain of consumption, dissatisfaction, and angst.