"Society’s Standards" (Weekly Selfie) - Nicolette Capua

Nicolette Capua, Society’s Standards, 2022

        These selfies are showing two pictures of the same girl. One girl has a lot of makeup on and the other girl has no makeup on, as she shows her natural self. The first selfie of the girl with makeup on is showing what society wants to see and how the spectacle encourages this unrealistic look. The second selfie is showing a girl naturally glowing with no makeup on. She is confident in her own skin and will not let the advertisements of the spectacle change who she is. The quote I chose relates to my selfie because of how the world is materialized and is trying to attract people through various marketing agendas which can change who people are. Big businesses use their agendas to make others want to fit in with societies trends and norms.

Quotes:
From Guy Debord's, Society of the Spectacle : Chapter 1 (2002 Transition)
“The spectacle cannot be understood as a mere visual excess produced by mass-media technologies. It is a worldview that has actually been materialized, that has become an objective reality” (Debord 5)

      The spectacle has become the new reality. Everyone is always looking for happiness and the spectacle provides this for them. The world is materialized in many ways that allows everyone to avoid their problems. Being able to have makeup and surgeries to change your face and body are things people are willing to do because of the spectacle and advertisements promoting unrealistic standards. Today the spectacle still affects us negatively and is always making people feel insecure about themselves.

An Illustrated Guide to Guy Debord’s ‘The Society of the Spectacle’
by : Tiernan Morgan & Lauren Purje

“The spectacle reduces reality to an endless supply of commodifiable fragments, while encouraging us to focus on appearances” (Morgan & Purje).
       The spectacle provides a false reality and makes  people focus on how they look compared to others. These advertisements around them make them change who they are to fit in with society's expectations.