The socio-cultural trend informing my design concept for my fashion editorial was based around the notion of being ‘mentally sick’. In today’s society, it is becoming increasingly popular to be seeing a psychologist, or relating the incompetencies and inefficiencies of an individual to a mental disorder. In fact these mental illnesses, which exist amongst our society, are so common that 1 in every 5 Australians will experience a mental illness within a 12-month period (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008).
This large number of people experiencing mental disorders within our society has forced people to deal with these issues by seeing disparate groups of therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists. It’s become so common, that many people now worry about their own lives and if their day-to-day functioning fits in with what is considered normal behavior. These individuals have jumped on the bandwagon and see it as a necessity to visit a therapist or psychologist of some sort. Not only do these people do this for themselves but make it a priority for their children to be seeing one as well, enabling parents to disregard their child’s issues and letting a therapist deal with it. This trend is more frequently seen in women, whose husbands are part of the higher end income bracket. This idea may be a stereotype, which currently sees housewives filling their days with lunches and appointments for themselves and children.
The people who have jumped on the bandwagon are what I focused on as the design concept for my fashion editorial. These days, it’s become part of a lifestyle to see a psychologist, part of one’s weekly routine. Has it then become cool to have a psychologist ? This exact question is what my fashion editorial answers, as I believe it’s become a trend in our society and the number of individuals who ‘need’ to see their therapist is only increasing. What has society morphed into where so many people feel the need to see a psychologist?
In my fashion editorial, I communicated this cultural trend of being ‘mentally sick’ and the need to see a psychologist through using extreme measures and dramatizing the circumstances. This was achieved through the shoot being based in a stereotypical, corrupted, mental institution. Based around 2 girls who ‘apparently’ are suffering from mental disorders, needing to see their therapists regularly. The shoot was structured to create a storyline of what’s going on inside their heads and their day-to-day functioning. These two girls were forced into this mental clinic after being diagnosed with severe depression, bi-polar schizophrenia due to the uncontrollable nature of teenagers and rebellious behavior. The make up and hair in this fashion editorial has been made to look as if the girls have been having a rough time in treatment. With minimal make-up used, the aim was to make the girls look pale, tired, drugged-up on medication, as if they have been crying and having an emotional time. The fashion editorial was styled to make the girls look innocent, using pastel colours throughout all the shots to convey this idea.
Through using these elements, the socio-cultural trend I explored was able to unfold and allow the images to be open to interpretation. This idea of being ‘mentally sick’ is normally, in essence, a serious issue. However as we move towards the future people have now become so insecure and untrustworthy of their own thoughts and actions, that seeing a therapist is an absolute requirement. What captivated me to explore this concept as the socio-cultural trend, which informed my design concept for my fashion editorial shoot, were the questions this issue raises. Why do people feel that they cannot cope with their own issues and stresses themselves ? What has the future become that society ‘needs’ that extra help, for people supposedly being ‘mentally sick’? Do people use this notion of being ‘mentally sick’ to scapegoat their life and make things easier for themselves?
In conclusion, it is therefore made apparent that this idea of being ‘mentally sick’ has become dramatized in society today. Both adults and teenagers are victims of this dramatization and feel the need to see someone about this due to not being able to cope by themselves. Hence it is therefore a trend as the number of people doing this has increased immensely.
References:
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (2008). National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing of Australians: Summary of Results. Canberra: ABS
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