(Illustrations by Siobhan Gallagher)
"We're imperfect, scared, anxious and depressed - but we're willing to share and relate to others," says New York-based illustrator Siobhan Gallagher, who posts her work on Instagram, is part of a new movement, in which female illustrators are challenging the 'perfection' that we see on social media.
They work in different styles and mediums, they live all over the world, but what connects these women is their desire to use their work to show the modern day woman's thoughts, feelings, experiences and friendships, as they truly are. "Some social media accounts are so curated and polished to make it seem like people are living perfect lives with perfectly posed experiences and bodies, and that's just not interesting," says Gallagher. "I'd rather share my interior life through drawing, because those thoughts are more real and relatable."
(Illustrations by Gemma Correll)
According to Stylist, mental health experts now recognise the potentially damaging effects of social media; from social anxiety and depression to body image. British illustrator Gemma Correll, whose work has become popular in recent years, aims to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues through her drawings. "I honestly think that humour can be a saviour at times of distress or if you just live with a constant level of anxiety and depress," Correll told Mashable in January 2016.
These kind of illustrations are so appealing because they're not trying to make out that life is happier, cooler and better than it is. The women in the drawings don't have perfect bodies or perfect habits and that makes them relatable. The artists produce the work that we have been longing for without us even knowing that this is what we want to see. It's refreshing and feel more 'real' than the countless fitness bloggers and models whose 'fantasty lives' clog up our social media feeds.
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