Self zine by Mallory Sandberg

SELF. May 2016

By Mallory Sandberg

Table of

Contents

SELF Image + Talk

Social Media: Impact on Women

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Talk About Love

Pep -Talk + Introduction to Featured Women Ava Evans pg. 11 Alex Olson pg. 15 Brittany Gardner pg. 19 Taylie Turner pg. 23 Mallory Sandberg

pg. 27

References

Self:

“self-portraits helped her to shape an idea of her own person; by creating herself anew in art as in life, she could find her way to an identity” Frida Kahlo

Image + Talk

Anyone is a producer of media. As creators, [we] are now vulnerable to criticism,

both positive or negative. This can affect how we view our self, what we choose to show or hide. Dictionary.com defines “self ” as “a person or thing referred to with respect to complete individuality”. How we view our self or our self-image can be greatly affected by the outside world, and what we choose to show of our media self can in return affect how others view us. When I think of self and social media together the first thing I think of is selfies. With selfies we can capture ourselves, not only our appearance but our feelings. We can capture moments where we are feeling our best, as well as when we are are at our lowest. They can be used to document, to show ourselves, our identity. An early example of “the selfie” are self-portraits done by artists. Kettenmann said of Frida Kahlo, a 20th century woman artist that “self-portraits helped her to shape an idea of her own person; by creating herself anew in art as in life, she could find her way to an identity” (Kettenmann 1992). As an artist myself I have drawn and painted several self-portraits. It forced me to really look at myself. To acknowledge my “flaws”, or what I perceive are my flaws. But I learned to also appreciate the things I like about myself, like the shape of my eyes or the turn of my smile. We have the power to create our media identity, our “portrait”.

fig. 1 The Eye of the Beholder Included throughout the magazine will be collected vintage photographs and collages. The simplicity and character of the photographs create a juxtapostion to the idea and images typically shown within social media.

Social Media Impact on Women

I asked four women to share what effects social media has had on them. Here were their responses:

AVA EVANS: The media has sent me through a lot of weird and regretful stages. I am a slave unto the media world. Only because I love it though, it connects people in a way it never has before and we’re able to share all this awesome information (like how to contour your feet!?). It’s made me happy, but it’s also made me sad. It’s let me be super creative, but at the same time it’s turned me into a robot. I used to think going on Tumblr to read and learn about people and places was amazing (which it is), but I soon learned that if I want to learn about people and places from some 16 year old’s pale blog, she unfortunately isn’t going to have the information I want. You go outside and you meet people, you put down your phone and pick up a book. Media has turned us into romanticising freaks (me at least), like, we start glorifying cigarettes and start worshiping people who weren’t all that good in the first place. Though, social media is such a good place for learning, don’t get me wrong. It’s my number one source for almost everything. There are so many outlets on it, so many platforms. It’s hard to not find something you like. But for some people it’s the only thing they like, and let me tell you from my experience, it’s a trap. ALEX OLSON: In the past social media had a really negative effect on me. I was so worried about people “liking” my posts that I would let it consume me. I thought if someone didn’t give my comment/picture a little thumbs up, heart, star, retweet, etc. that somehow reflected who I was as a person and my worth in the world. I have recently come to realize, that social media

should be used for you. I was talking to a friend the other day about how it’s important not to be worried about how many “likes” you get, but it’s more like a journal of sorts. For example, when I retweet posts about The 1975 or cats, it’s not about getting other people to retweet them, it’s on my feed so I can find it another time. It’s for me. BRITTANY GARDNER: Negative: I have found myself sometimes consumed with crafting the perfect “status update” for FB or caption for an Instagram photo. I find I am drawn to it and check it multiple times daily. I sometimes found myself more likely to check how many likes or comments I have on my postings than to actually interact with my friends through these platforms. I feel it intrudes on time I could spend with my family or on other hobbies. It’s a big time waster Positive: I’m a member of several FB groups that gives me help and support when I need it. (working moms, runners, my ward’s Relief Society, the PTA at my kids’ school). I’m also more connected to old friends than I otherwise would be. TAYLIE TURNER: I have a love/hate relationship with media. I love that I can stay connected with my friends and family. I hate that sometimes I can feel left out when I see other’s posts. I love that I can express myself. I hate that captions/filters/aesthetic matters. Social media actually destroyed me my sophomore year of high school. I was surrounded by people who were buying into a “beauty standard”

and by friends and people I loved who were accepting the media’s views and rejecting their own. I struggled with my appearance and my selfworth. Because of the media, I decided I wasn’t good enough for anyone and became withdrawn and had a rough time with disordered eating. It was not a good time in my life. However, I have since realized that the media can’t control what I do. It was a wakeup call for me, and I have taken the time to throw out the negative media as much as I can. The Facts: Statistics on Social Media Pews Research Center did a survey comparing women’s social media use to men’s. “Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram have a larger female user base, while online discussion forums like Reddit, Digg or Slashdot attract a greater share of male users.” More women use visual media than men. According to Anderson, “Online women are also more likely than online men to use Facebook and Instagram. Some 77% of online women are Facebook users, compared with two-thirds of online men. Instagram use follows a similar pattern, with online women being more inclined to use the picture-sharing site than men (31% vs. 24%).” (Anderson 2015)

Lets Talk About Love The Body Love Movement

The body love movement or body

positive movement is a trend that has been seen throughout social media and the like in recent years. Many different websites and other sources bring light on the topic, as well as the different views of what “body love” really means. Body Image: Research was done by the University of Strathclyde, Ohio University, and University of Iowa asking 881 female, US college students about their Facebook use. The research found a link between looking at social networks creating negative comparison about body image. Briggs quotes Petya Eckler, of the University of Strathclyde in a BBC news article about the research, “The attention to physical attributes may be even more dangerous on social media than on traditional media because participants in social media are people we know. These comparisons are much more relevant and hit closer to home. Yet they may be just as unrealistic as the images we see on traditional media.” (Briggs 2014)

How the Body Love movement can help: The Body Love movement trend can inspire not just women, but everyone to appreciate themselves. From posting pictures of themselves to saying what the love about their bodies along with hashtags like #ilovemybody. It can be used to support one another, because we all go through times of doubting ourselves, help us see that we are not alone. An article I found to be interesting is about ideas on new directions for the body-positive movement and was written by Melissa Fabello. She brings up five directions that she would like to see within the movement. They include: Deconstructing beauty as valuable, we are more than just a body, the discussion needs to be diversified, more coaching, less pushing, and prevention as well as intervention. Calling for the conversation to be directed on not the body’s appearance itself, but on the being as a whole. I believe it is important to be happy with how you look, but it is even more important to love all of yourself. Not just our appearance, but our character, our imperfections. Because it is more than just our body that makes up who we are, that makes up our “self ”.

Fabello ends her article with this statement: “In the grand scheme of things, the body-positive movement is in its adolescence. It’s growing. It’s taking on a mind of its own. It’s becoming. And we have the opportunity to foster its evolution into something deeper and more far-reaching. We have that chance.” (Fabello 2014) http://everydayfeminism.com

Pep -Talk

positive self talk

“Self-talk” is “anything said to oneself for encouragement or motivation, such as phrases or mantras; also, one’s constant internal conversation” That’s what needs to be implemented into one’s life--positive self-talk. The following pages include an interview with five women on what they love about themselves as well as having a positive mindset.

Works of art or photography were created by inspiration taken from the women’s responses. The artwork + quoted text can be taken from the magazine and displayed to remind us to talk positive about oneself.

YOU LOOK

GOOD 9

Ava Evans h. s u r o n g. l n a o c r i There’s g w o l e o h i gb in t n t i o k ct. l n e a f e r r w ’ e t p r e a You sm to b , l e u d f i a t u m a t We’re be and we were no s organism

You Deserve Love 11

Age: 16

Talk a little about yourself. Who you are and your experience within the social media world. Once I knew that cell phones existed I couldn’t keep my mind off them. My “social media” journey began when I got my iPod Touch in 6th grade. I was really into photography at that time and thought I was really good, so I had about 11 photography apps on the iPod and was always taking pictures. Instagram was included in those 11 apps and my username was “alightblue” and I posted a lot of pictures of my feet. (???) When I got my cell phone in 7th grade, everything changed. I was religiously converted into the One Direction fandom immediately through Instagram. My new account was named “sittingonthesea” after some lyrics from an Adele song. These early teen years were pure corruption! My parents were terrified of my new “online friends” and my knowledge of all these sexual innuendos. I was constantly on my phone, escaping. I was putting it before friends, before school and before family. My world was my Instagram and I did everything in my power to look cool on it. I thought they were the ones who didn’t understand for a long time, but it was really me. Today on my social media accounts, it’s still a competition. It’s a game and it’s a game I love, but I’m a little less submerged now. I’m not posting on Instagram two times a day, (I hope) I’m not tweeting five times a day, and I rarely get on tumblr anymore. To be honest Vine probably takes up most of my phone time. Social media used to be my gateway for creative expression, but over the years I’ve noticed it’s completely hindered all cre-

ative expression for me. If I make art one night, I’m posting it everywhere to show my friends I did art. People start doing things just to show people they’re doing it. And if you’re not doing a specific cool internet thing… you’re irrelevant, so it’s hard to be different and successful in the social media world. Do you ever have fears when posting/putting yourself out on social media? I guess if I was posting scandalous or reallllly controversial stuff I would probably be scared, but more scared if my parents found it. If I didn’t appeal to my audience with the certain things I post, I would definitely be terrified of watching one of my dad’s cousins start clicking like on all of my sexy Drake edits on my Drake fan account or something. Is it important for women to have a positive mindset about themselves? Why? Yes!! A million times yes!! I agree that it’s easier said than done, but watching girls love themselves unconditionally is probably one of the coolest things social media has let me be apart of. Especially at my age when most of my friends are posting selfies I’m like yesssssss!! Kill it!!!! You look so gooooood!!!! And they think they look good too! It’s amazing! We’re loving ourselves! The dark cloud of comparison is a hard thing to overcome, but I love watching it get easier and easier as we all grow together. We’re all on the same team and a positive mindset about ourselves is crucial in order to have a positive mindset about each other too.

What is your opinion on selfies? Can they be used as a source of empowerment? I love selfies. I think self absorbency and selfies kind of sit on a thin line, but either way being obsessed with yourself is better than hating yourself all together. I think selfies are empowering in so many ways! You could take a picture of yourself all dressed up and think you look like the bomb.com, or you could see someone else’s selfie and have it empower or inspire you too. A selfie is a photograph in which a person encaptures themselves in whichever way they want, which I think is cool. What do you love about yourself? I think I like my low-key-ness. I feel like we could be having an earthquake and I’d still be like “guys chill, it just knocked off a couple things from the wall haha what’s for dinner”. I love my eyelashes. I love my nose even if Adam from 6th grade didn’t. I love that I cry when I laugh, and most of all, my music taste.

Ava Evans

What would you want to tell someone who may be struggling with loving themselves? I’d tell them it takes time, and that there’s no rush. You’re not in the wrong. We’re beautiful, smart walking biological organisms and we were not made to be perfect. We’re constantly growing, learning and creating. We are so cool! Our minds our so cool! “Your body is like a forest. Thick canopies of maple trees and sweet scented wildflowers sprouting all around. We will grow back, over and over, no matter how badly we are defeated.” *

You deserve love.

*Beau Taplin

Alex Olson Age: 20

Talk a little about yourself. Who you are and your experience within the social media world. My name is Alex and I’m a 20 year old girl obsessed bands and comedic posts. I have a lot of social media accounts. I have a Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, Pinterest, We Heart It, and Facebook. I would honestly say that I am addicted to them. I check them several times a day and love being updated about the latest memes, jokes, and trends. Do you ever have fears when posting/putting yourself out on social media? I just worry about being unoriginal or something coming across different than intended. I don’t ever want to offend anyone, but I also want to be able to post what I want, again as a 20-year-old millennial, I think I should be able to say things and have my opinion respected. Another fear I think many people have is posting something that will be held against them at some point. I’m always changing and growing so my opinions of topics will occasionally shift and I don’t want that fact that at some point I said, “I hate pickles” to freak everyone out when another day I comment, “Pickles aren’t the worst thing”, like, sometimes people change and so does their outlook. So, after all that, I’m saying my fears are: unoriginality, offending people, and blackmail (to an extent). Is it important for women to have a positive mindset about themselves? Why? Of course it’s important for women to have a positive mindset, it’s important for anyone to! Everyone is held to such a standard these days because

Yas Queen! Be the person who makes you happy. Love your body; it’s the only one you’ve got. 16

of social media, but that definitely shouldn’t play into how someone sees himself or herself. It is so hard to come to terms that we can’t all look like Gigi Hadid or Zac Efron, but when people realize we ARE all different, the happier they can be. I have personal experience with this. I was so worried about my differences that I didn’t recognize that those are what make me unique. As cliché as this may sound, women need to encourage one another so that we feel comfortable encouraging ourselves. If we are always comparing ourselves to someone else, we’ll never be happy with who we are. There is a quote by the oh so wise Kanye West, ‘ Someone will always be prettier. Someone will always be smarter. Someone will always be younger. But they will never be you. ‘ I think this is so true and powerful, we are who we are and we’ll never be someone else, so you might as well embrace being you. What is your opinion on selfies? Can they be used as a source of empowerment? I love selfies! In all honestly I take about 15-20 a day, I don’t always keep them, but I certainly take them. They can 100% be used as empowerment. When I take a good selfie, I feel pretty great about myself. Especially when I’m not wearing makeup and it still looks good. I also love seeing another person’s selfie. Saying, “yas queen” when seeing a good pic is one of my favorite hobbies. Commenting on pictures is something I will almost always do; I think it is so important to let someone know that it’s okay to feel comfortable with their appearance. Even if it’s as simple as, “I love this pic!” it will mean the world to someone, well at least I know it does to me.

What would you want to tell someone who may be struggling with loving themselves? The sooner you love yourself, the happier you will be. I have been in the mindset where you think you are the worst thing to ever walk the earth and no one could ever love, or even tolerate you, but that’s wrong. That’s just you tricking yourself. Everyday I find myself deciding whether or not I will accept who I am. The days I choose not to are very bad and I feel unmotivated and unloved. The days I tell myself, “I am Alex Olson and there is no one quite like me!” I am full of energy and happiness. Don’t let your differences be obstacles, allow them to make you unique! So what if your second toe is longer than the first? So what if you’re the shortest of your friends? So what if you can’t sing? So what if you have a lisp? So what if you talk really fast? These are what make you who you are! Everyone has that one thing they wish they could change about themselves, but the only way you can truly come to love yourself is by realizing that those differences are a part of the person you are. If you take that away imagine what else you could be taking away from your life? Are you willing to lose it all because of some unique feature? Be the person who makes you happy. Love your body; it’s the only one you’ve got.

Alex Olson

Brittany Gardner Age: 34

Talk a little about yourself. Who you are and your experience within the social media world. I am a 34-yr-old mother of two. I am a musician (teacher and performer). I’m LDS and an amateur runner (have completed 5 full marathons, and 5 half-marathons). I joined Facebook in 2007 and Instagram in 2014. I love the way social media allows me to connect with friends who are far away, or even friends who are close but have busy full lives like me. I generally disregard postings that don’t jive with my own sensibilities; and I generally don’t get worked up by posts that I don’t agree with. I just kind of let it go. Do you ever have fears when posting/putting yourself out on social media? Generally, no. And that’s because I never post anything that’s 1) too personal 2) too fake or 3) could be misconstrued. I use social media to connect with friends and have a positive place in my life. I don’t let it consume me, I don’t base my opinions on the things I read there (if someone posts something interesting, I’m more likely to look up an article on a news site to get more info than to just read more of other people’s comments) I do sometimes wonder if my posts come across as too positive, as though they’re insincere. But, since I’m only connected to people who know me personally (I never accept a friend request from someone I don’t actually know in real life), then they know I’m being genuine about what I post.

Is it important for women to have a positive mindset about themselves? Why? I feel it’s more important for women to have a realistic mindset about themselves, and to believe in the possibility of improvement. I believe that if you view yourself in a positive way all the time all the time, you will miss out on possible growth, because you won’t be aware of your deficiencies (and let’s face it; all of us have them). If you are negative all the time, that will adversely affect everything from your relationships to your health. Those women I most admire are the ones who are confident in their present selves, while being mindful of the ways they wish to improve; and then going to work on those improvements, not just sitting idly by and “wishing” they were somehow better.

Accept who you are now, accept the Divine Love that’s already there for you, &give yourself a break!

What is your opinion on selfies? Can they be used as a source of empowerment? It completely depends on how the selfie is staged, though I tend to regard selfies as at least a little bit vain. (which shows lack of willingness to understand on my part) Personally, I seldom take selfies, but I take “groupies” regularly, mostly to remind me that I am surrounded by people who love me and fill me up and make me a better person. I like sharing those pics on social media, as well as looking back at those types of pictures and seeing the love, friendship, and camaraderie in them. (continued...)

It’s easy to pass a quick judgment on what is posted on social media, but while you may see the picture, you’ll never see the complete intent behind it. And because of that, I tend to at least try to suspend judgment when viewing selfies (unless it’s ridiculously inappropriate, such as a scantily-clad person making suggestive faces at the camera)

are all a work in progress. Comparison to anyone (whether it’s someone else or even a past version of yourself) only robs you of the joy of the present. So accept who you are now, accept the Divine Love that’s already there for you, and give yourself a break!

What do you love about yourself? My courage, strength of character, integrity. My ability to work hard and see something through to the end. In a word: Tenacity What would you want to tell someone who may be struggling with loving themselves? (this was

the standard question I asked the other participates, but I would love to include what you would tell to your daughters).

Funny you should ask; this is something I’ve talked quite a bit about with my daughters. We have had many conversations where I’ve felt compelled to reinforce that my love for them simply exists because they exist. It is not dependent on what they do or how they act or what accomplishments they achieve. It does not diminish if they’ve made a mistake or two. They are enough just by being who they are. Everyone on this planet is a child of our Divine Creator, who has always loved us. Our limitations, our mistakes, our deficiencies do NOT preclude us from this Divine Love, nor do they define us. We

Brittany Gardner

Women are powerful, and they need to believe in themselves. Women raise generations. 23

Taylie Turner Age: 20

Talk a little about yourself. Who you are and your experience within the social media world. I have been surrounded by social media during the most critical parts of my life. As a 20 year old woman, social media can portray and betray who I am or want to be. I use social media quite often, and have seen the effects in my life. Do you have fears when posting/putting yourself out on social media? Definitely. I think everyone doubts themselves. Especially where people can access it so easily and tear down your beliefs. However, I am working to remember that it doesn’t matter what other people think. If I want to post that weird science pun or a goofy picture, then why shouldn’t I? Is it important for women to have a positive mindset about themselves? Why? Yes yes yes!!!! Women are powerful, and they need to believe in themselves. Women raise generations, and if they aren’t positive about themselves, then how can they pass that on to their children? What is your opinion on selfies? Can they be used as a source of empowerment? I think that selfies can be used as a source of empowerment. They can show you that you believe in yourself, and you are just feeling yourself that day. We need to be respectful of other people’s lives. If they want a post a selfie? Good for

them. If they don’t? Good for them. Just believe in people. But I’m way too awkward for selfies. I mostly don’t know how to take them or what to do with them. Basically if I magically take a good selfie it becomes the picture I use for literally everything until I get the courage up to take another one. What do you love about yourself? I love that I can laugh at myself. I love that I love science and reading and that I like to run. I love that I have wonderful friends who listen to me. I love that HP is a part of my life. I love my eyes and how they are how I express myself. And I love my freckles. Because they represent my heritage. What would you tell someone who may be struggling with loving themselves? You are worth it. You are beautiful. You don’t have to compact yourself down to someone else’s level. You are strong and empowered. Kid President said, “You are here, you take up space, you matter. It’s science.” List what you love about yourself. Don’t do it in your head. Write it or say it. You are important. Don’t give up on yourself.

Taylie Turner A special thanks to these wonderful ladies! Thank you for opening up & sharing your insights with us!

Mallory Sandberg Age: 20

Talk a little about yourself. Who you are and your experience within the social media world.

Do you ever have fears when posting/putting yourself out on social media?

I have been around the social media world for a while now, but never really participated in it until this year, with my recently new Twitter and Instagram account. Although I’ve rocked the Pinterest scene for a while. *wink*

Yes. Which is one of the reasons I never really had any social media accounts of my own. I feared that I would be judged by the number of followers and likes I got. That it would define who I was as a person to others.

My first taste of social media was through blogs. I discovered the world of blogging in 9th grade. I never had one for myself, but I followed many, and later narrowed it down to a few favorites. But those few favorite blogs have really shaped who I am and helped me decide on what I want to do in life. Showing me that I could have a career in something I enjoy, something that brings me happiness.

My anxiety starts doing the thinking for me. “What if they don’t get the context?”, “What will that boy think?”, “What if I don’t get any likes?”, “Am I not good enough?” are all thoughts that will run through my head.

What effects has the media had on you? Social media has had both positive and negative effects on me. Returning back to question one, certain blogs have had a positive effect on me, those women have helped shape my life and where I see myself in the future. It has been an outlet, for creativity, my words, all pieces of me. Which is what I love most about social media, that we can all “share” and “like” what others created. I love when I see a post of a person enjoying themselves, or their picture of a sunset, or when they tweet something hilarious and relatable. It allows me the opportunity to get a glimpse of their lives. I can read what they think, see what they find beautiful and what makes them happy.

I know that likes and favorites don’t matter. And they usually don’t matter to me. But there are times where I get so wrapped up in those thoughts, times where I allow them to hurt me. Times where I just keep feeding them. I think that’s the negative part of social media. When we let it dictate our lives, when we let it define us. Is it important for women to have a positive mindset about themselves? Why? Definitely, it’s why I felt it was important to add to this project. Having been in a place in my life where I did not think positive about myself makes me realize the importance of thinking nicely about oneself. During the time where I thought negatively of myself, I had the belief that I wasn’t worthy of love or of developing relationships with friends, family,and others. I closed myself off to the world, hurting both me

as well as those that cared about me. We need to take care of ourselves, especially our minds. That means we need to show compassion to ourselves, be patient and give ourselves plenty of breaks and second chances.

are of great worth. You have meaning and a purpose. You may not realize it, but others have definitely felt your effect in some form or another.

What is your opinion on selfies? Can they be used as a source of empowerment? I believe in selfies. I believe that there is certain kind of power that can be felt when you capture a moment in time where you felt good about yourself. I also believe that the power should not go to your head. Selfies shouldn’t be used to compare yourself to others, to think of yourself as better. They should be used for the good of yourself (yourselfie ha). What do you love about yourself? I love that I can laugh at myself, and that I can make others laugh. I love that I am sensitive, even though it can make life difficult at times, it allows me feel deeply and empathize with others. I love my eyes and my hands for the intricate beauty that they both have in of itself and what they can see and create. I love that the older I get the more vulnerable I become, which allows me to open up and grow while gaining confidence in myself as well as finding trust in others. What would you want to tell someone who may be struggling with loving themselves? To go easy on yourself. You don’t need to be perfect; you are enough. That it’s not only important to love yourself but to know that you

References Works Cited: Anderson, Monica. “Men Catch up with Women on Overall Social Media Use.” Pew Research Center RSS. 28 Aug. 2015. Web. 05 Apr. 2016. <http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/08/28/men-catch-up-with-women-on- overall-social-me dia-use/>. Briggs, Helen. “’Selfie’ Body Image Warning Issued - BBC News.” BBC News. 10 Apr. 2014. Web. 05 Apr. 2016. <http://www.bbc.com/news/health-26952394>. Dictionary.com. “The Definition of Self.” Dictionary.com. Web. 06 Apr. 2016. <http://www.dictionary.com/browse/self>. Dictionary.com.” The Definition of Self-talk.” Dictionary.com. Web. 07 Apr. 2016. <http://www.dictionary.com/browse/self-talk>. Fabello, Melissa A. “5 New Directions for the Body-Positive Movement.” Everyday Feminism. 2014. Web. 07 Apr. 2016. <http://everydayfeminism.com/2014/04/new-directions-bopo- movement/>. Kettenmann, Andrea. Frida Kahlo, 1907-1954: Pain and Passion. 1992. Print Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 08 Apr. 2016. <http://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/self–image>.

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