Image Analysis

Dolls symbolize perfection, glamour, fantasy and fulfillment. Barbie is always smiling, living her life in Malibu with her boyfriend Ken. She is also able to fulfill her dreams in any profession that she wants... But what if dolls were imperfect?

            In a photograph taken by Vivian Maier, a doll is shown in a trash can. The doll’s clothes are ripped and dirty. Its’ face has scratches and dirt on it. The doll is enclosed in the trash can. The doll is clearly imperfect. Who wants to love an imperfect doll? This question leads to the reason why we perform on social media the way we do. We fear not being loved. We fear being unwanted. We fear being alone. We fear being imperfect but we are indeed imperfect. It’s a hard reality to face because much like the imperfect doll enclosed by the trash can we are trapped by are imperfections. When I look at this photo I see us inside the trash can and everything outside of it as a society pushing us to be something we are not. We are the beautifully imperfect dolls trapped in a society that tells us how we should look, how we should act, and how we should think. Consequently, this enables incidents such as “catfishing” to happen. If Angela would have been completely honest from the beginning, would Nev had loved her for who she is? No. Nev was clearly looking for a woman that exemplified society’s standards of beauty. After all Megan is skinny, blonde, has light eyes, and is a professional model. Nev fell in love with Angela’s personality but Megan’s physical appearance. Because Angela knew this fact, she kept up her façade.