Body Image: The Girl Before A Mirror

Body image a big topic in today’s society. From advertising weight loss supplements to eating healthy and being fit, girls are always looking for ways to alter their body. Body image is spoken about all over the world, through books, television, movies, and art. Here are two paintings that talk about body image: The Girl Before a Mirror by Pablo Picasso and The Ionian Dance by Edward Poynter show two girls who look at their body images differently. As shown by the depiction of the girls’ bodies and the use of color in each painting, Picasso’s girl is more insecure, whereas Poynter’s girl is more confident. Picasso paints his girl standing in front of a mirror looking at herself. The girl in the painting shows signs of insecurity. In
The girl in this painting shows that she is confident.
The position and shape of the two girls’ bodies show Picasso’s girl holding on to the mirror, slouching in insecurity, while Poynter’s girl stands tall with confidence. The girl in Picasso’s painting is holding out both hands, gripping onto each side of the mirror. The girl’s grip to the mirror indicates she is taking a close look at herself and shows self awareness. Her self awareness can show either she loves herself or shows insecurity with herself. As she holds the mirror, she seems to look at herself with insecurity with the way her eyes glare at her reflection. Poynter’s girl lunges forward with her chest held high, exposing her breast. Her chest sticks out, which tells us she is prepared for her performance and is ready to perform the dance with ease. She lunges forward with her
Picasso’s girl is made up of cool colors, which shows insecurity. The girl in Poynter’s girl is made up of bright colors, which shows confidence. Picasso paints the girl, looking into the mirror, using warm colors. Picasso paints the girl with warm colors, which tells us that Picasso wants to present the girl with beauty. The reflection of the girl is made up of cool colors, which shows Picasso made the two girls in the painting show a different kind of beauty from one another. Poynter’s paints the girl wearing a sheer, pink dress, which shows off her nude body. Poynter paints the dress with exquisite beads to make the girl sparkle on the dance floor. The pink dress is presented in a beautiful flow, complementing the girl’s dancing. Her arms and breast are defined, which shows her body is strong, like a dancer. This shows that Poynter portrays the girl’s defined, body to compliment her dancing. In the Girl Before a Mirror, Picasso paints the girl, in the reflection, with cool colors. The girl in the reflection is made up of mostly blue and purple. These colors represent a sad emotion, so the girl’s reflection tells us that the girl looks at herself with discomfort. Picasso paints the girl with warm colors, and paints her reflection with cool colors. Therefore, Picasso portrays the girl as beautiful, but looks at herself with insecurity. The colors surrounding the girl, in the Ionian