What would your sketch show?

What do you look like? How would you describe your eyes, your hair, your ears, your forehead, etc?

 

In this advertisement from Dove several people were asked to describe their faces’ features while they were drawn by a Forensic Artist called Gil Zamora who works for the FBI. He couldn’t see anyone and he just asked people sitting behind the curtains, questions in order to draw a sketch of their faces. Then, after describing themselves, people left and they were asked to meet another person. Everyone now was asked to describe the person they just met and the artist made a second sketch for the same person.

In the end, each person had two sketches of their faces. One sketch was led by their descriptions and the second sketch was drawn with the description the other person offered.

The outcome is fantastic and quite interesting. The two sketches were not identical at all. Comparing them one could easily identify how the different perspectives played their roles. The expressions on people’s faces were extremely different. On the left there was the sketch drawn under the guidance of the person. And there you could see that people perceived themselves in a way that if you think about it, it’s kind of sad and depressing. People really highlighted the features of their faces that they didn’t like, whether the person that described them stressed the beautiful features that stood out.

 When people were asked to compare the sketches they became emotional, because they realized that what they didn’t like about themselves and their perceptions were completely different from the ones that others have about their physical appearance.

People were speechless staring at the two sketches with tears on their eyes, like trying to spot the differences, which were many. They couldn’t believe their eyes; the second drawing depicted someone happier and friendlier as a woman described.

I think they would all agree with what this woman said on the video, about the fact that the way we perceive ourselves has a huge impact on how we act, how we show ourselves to others, how we treat others, how we do everything in life and the choices we make.

Probably, all of us spend more time emphasizing the things we don’t like about ourselves than the things we like. We are too used to look in the mirror and think “how I wish I could change this” or “I hate that”, and now we have to think that the way we see ourselves is completely different from how others see us. We are too harsh on us and too critical.

Sometimes we blame society because it creates certain stereotypes which make us think that we are only going to be happy if we have a certain body or “perfect face”, but society is composed of people and as the video shows sometimes it is us that do this to ourselves. I mean, it is US who are not comfortable with our bodies and it is US who don’t accept and love ourselves.

So, the change starts with each and everyone of us, and in our minds!

I became quite emotional after watching this video. In the end it made me happy to see how these people changed the perception they had of themselves.

I will always do my best to be happy no matter my physical appearance. 

P.D: A round of applause to Dove and its Real Beauty Campaign

Pictures retrieved from:

http://realbeautysketches.dove.us/images/pic2-back.jpg

http://katherineschwarzenegger.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Dove-Samples.jpg

My own stream of conciousness (not exactly)

I had been thinking the whole week what to write about in this new entry. I thought "If only I could write just what I think"...But that was not a possibility. Why? Well, first of all because you should think about your audience and give your readers something to say after they have read what you wrote. And in second place, because writing exactly how you feel or how you see things exposes you in such a way that you usually don't want to take that risk. You become completely transparent and that's scary. But then again I ask myself Why? Maybe because someone would not like what you say or they may think it is stupid. And you know what! It's OK. That shouldn't be a problem. There will always be people criticizing you. And today, I feel like not everything is open to a moral debate. Today, I feel connected to a different side of myself, which is not exactly neither artistic nor creative. It is what it is. I’m getting rid of all the conventions, and things I’m supposed to say or write about. I’m just opening my mind and my inner self and letting them flow.

Now, I will share with you the following experience. It all started when last week a teacher made us watch Jason Mraz video: “I’m yours”. It was awesome to discover that actually the song is not exactly about love for someone (of course, you can interpret it in this way), but instead I took it as something else.  To me at least, it’s like an advice to live life to the fullest:

So I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours

By Siri Liniers

A few nights ago I was about to go to bed but instead I went to my backyard. It was one of those warm summer nights. The sky was clear and I could contemplate the infinite quantity of stars which no longer exist but that have left their wake, their mark. As so many people do. And while crickets chirped I lay on the floor, facing that immense mass of whatever it is that we call sky. It is weird, but true. I really did that. And there I was, thinking about how beautiful the world is, about that we usually don’t really stop to think about our lives, how they’re going, if we are happy or just too comfortable to change anything, and about “I’m yours” lyrics. There´re some other lines that have stuck to my mind as well:

I guess what I been saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons

So, I thought I don’t want anything (I mean material things) I’ve got everything I need and I’m grateful for that. And that’s it. I just want to tell the whole world “Hey, I’m yours...I’d love to meet you” haha.

And if you're still wondering why I wrote this...Well, I have two reasons. First, because I'm decided to travel and secondly, because I would love to write stories and novels in the future. So, I take this post as a starting point, as a first step. I need courage to make decisions and do everything I want and above all to be myself.

Thanks for taking your time!

Here's the video. Get inspired by it :)

Jason Mraz- I'm yours


P.S: Daniela I borrowed the pic you made. :) thanks!