Witnessing beauty can bring on intense emotions such as sadness, but that’s not always a bad thing
By Andrew Khalil
I remember the first time I felt it so vividly. I was standing knee deep in the freezing water of Lake Huron well past midnight. The full moon was projected in the sky; a massive orb casting a pale glow on the entire lake. I looked down, seeing the moons reflection shimmering through the tiny ripples in the water. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever witnessed firsthand and yet, I could not help but feel a wave of sadness wash over me.
Ever since then, I’ve felt a similar melancholic feeling almost every time I witness beauty, both in nature and in cinematography. And so, I wondered, why does something so beautiful make me feel so sad?
It was much easier to reason when it came to cinematography, pinning the feeling to the subconscious knowledge of cinema as being unauthentic and manufactured to be beautiful, unlike nature. However, when it came to natural beauty, the reasons were not as apparent.
In search of answers, I scoured the internet and found nothing, just other people who felt similar melancholy but also did not understand why they felt this way. I started talking to my friends and family about this feeling and to my surprise, it was familiar to some of them, yet we still could not grasp why this even occurs.
As time went on, I realized that part of this sadness may not come from the beauty itself, but from the nature of the beautiful experience. The moments of beauty that are almost sublime, the ones that fill me with an inexplicable sense of sadness, are the ones that I know will pass. This realization sparked other ideas, and I started to contemplate a new question, could there be a way to ease my sadness? or better yet, harness the beauty of nature in my personal life?
As time went on, I realized that part of this sadness may not come from the beauty itself, but from the nature of the beautiful experience. The moments of beauty that are almost sublime, the ones that fill me with an inexplicable sense of sadness, are the ones that I know will pass
These beautiful experiences can create nostalgia, spark existential sadness, or trigger a sense of empathy regarding the destruction of nature’s beauty. Regardless, I felt satisfied with my insights and motivated to find the answer to my new question.
Post-realization, I decided to buy some plants and watch them grow beautifully over a two-year period. This simple act allowed me to experience the beauty of nature in a way that lasted.
Aside from buying plants, there are many other ways that you can harness the beauty of nature in your personal life. Spend more time immersed in nature. Whether a solitary endeavour or with others, your time in nature can also act as a time for exercise and meditation. You can go for a hike as cardio or sit peacefully surrounded by trees to ease your mind from stress.
Take up a nature-related hobby. Hobbies such as painting, photography, and gardening not only allow you to harness the beauty of nature in your personal life, but also act as mediums to express your creativity.
Travel to natural destinations. Traveling, even if done locally, can be an amazing way to experience the beauty of nature in your personal life. You can visit local gardens, the beautiful waterfalls surrounding the McMaster University campus, or go on a road trip to the beach, these experiences can be awe-inspiring and leave lasting memories.
By actively seeking out and experiencing the beauty of nature, we can find comfort in the fact that even though our experience in natures beauty is temporary, we can still find moments of happiness and fulfillment. I certainly did and so can you.
The 2023 class of studio arts takes on intersectionality and decolonization through their graduating exhibit at the McMaster Museum of Art
From Apr. 6 to 28, SUMMA 2023: Where We Intersect will showcase the work of this year's bachelor of fine arts graduating class.
Where We Intersect: Identities, Environments, Activisms has a focus on the stories of the artists. They each created works that fall into one or more of these three realms. The media of the exhibit is made up of a large variety, including drawings, paintings, photographs, installations, printmaking sculptures, projections and sound based works. The aim of the exhibit is to exemplify the newer generation’s resilience in the face of a global pandemic, violence, environmental devastation and existential angst.
“It's a very turbulent time that we're in and I think that this work conveys a kind of a sober, but also a hopeful kind of collective inquiry into how do we cultivate resilience in these turbulent times,” said Mosa McNeilly curator of SUMMA 2023.
“It's a very turbulent time that we're in and I think that this work conveys a kind of a sober, but also a hopeful kind of collective inquiry into how do we cultivate resilience in these turbulent times,”
Mosa McNeilly, curator of SUMMA 2023
McNeilly first met with the students in January to begin preparations for the exhibit. The first meeting was dedicated time for studio arts students to consult with McNeilly on their progress on their pieces and to plan an overarching theme for the exhibit. The students came up with the title, Where we Intersect, and after consulting with them she decided on the subtitle, Identities, Environments, Activisms.
The title is a very important aspect of the exhibit. For SUMMA 2023, it was important to the artists to explore intersection and intersectionality. The students of this exhibit were aware of this concept and as they discussed their positionality within current society, the conversation sparked the finality of the theme of the exhibit.
“There's an intersectional ethic in how [the students are] seeking to understand their relationships with each other and in their analyses of how they position themselves in terms of race, place, ability, spirituality, sexual orientation, gender and ethnicity,” said McNeilly.
The students in this exhibit truly impressed McNeilly over the time she has spent working with them. She believes they took the many forms of media to accentuate their own thoughts. Moreover, she was impressed at how they all had a focus on decolonization within their work.
They each had ideas for how they wanted their work to be presented and to step away from traditional practices. It gave her hope that the future generation of artists will embrace intersectionality in their work and question their position relative to it.
“What I find compelling about this group of emerging artists is [that there is] impetus towards decolonizing . . . [The students] were not interested in conventional, formal museum aesthetics, some of them, they wanted to push against those standards of presentation,” said McNeilly.
“What I find compelling about this group of emerging artists is [that there is] impetus towards decolonizing . . . [The students] were not interested in conventional, formal museum aesthetics, some of them, they wanted to push against those standards of presentation,”
Mosa McNeilly, curator of SUMMA 2023
[feather_share show="twitter, google_plus, facebook, reddit, tumblr" hide="pinterest, linkedin, mail"]
I found out over reading week that one of my distant cousins died. This, coupled with the death of two grandparents in the span of a year, has led to my first mortality crisis. “One day,” I said to myself, “you will die.”
Here’s the thing; I’ve been worried about growing old for a much longer time than I’ve been worried about what follows it. I wasn’t even particularly worried about a decline in quality of life with age (which has now arrived with Mortality Crisis 1.0). Instead, I’ve been worried — as long as I can remember — that one day I would no longer be a physically attractive woman. The scariest part? My fears are not unique.
Why are we so scared of growing old? Stylist speaks to 5 women over 60 to see how they feel https://t.co/CtaR85nMfr pic.twitter.com/AFCmKcQx9Z
— Stylist Magazine (@StylistMagazine) November 12, 2015
Every woman I’ve talked to about the topic has expressed worry about what will happen to her body. Whether it be stretch marks, or frown lines, or less-than-perky breasts, I have yet to find a woman who is entirely comfortable with the future of her physique. I wish that I could dismiss my own fears as irrational, or label them as an individual case of vanity and move on, but as this seems to be a pandemic, that is clearly not the case. Where do our fears come from?
The depressingly obvious answer is that we are told that our value is in our appearance. From a very young age, everything in my world said that I am most important when I am young and pretty. Even seemingly small things like compliments to my appearance before my intellect all contributed to one message in my young, impressionable mind: being beautiful is the key to success. Every warning of spinsterhood told me something else: never get old.
Notably, the television I watched growing up dictated where I was to fit in this world. Every fictional female character I admired was a young, white, love interest, and in need of male assistance. They were never anything less than flawless in appearance, and none of them were over the age of 25. Mothers were conveniently wrinkle free, and the only older women I saw in Disney movies were either helpless or villains. It is hard to picture yourself as living happily to a ripe old age when you cannot find an example in your pop culture repertoire of a woman doing so, and god forbid we think about having a happy sex life past the age of 30. The message was clear; you are valuable for your youth, and when you get old you disappear, you stop existing.
Every warning of spinsterhood told me something else: never get old.
Fear of old age is hardly an exclusively female phenomenon, yet while I listen to my male friends complain about pattern baldness or a loss of muscle tone, I can’t help but see their complaints as part of an entirely different class of anxiety. It is much easier to handle the impact of ageing when you haven’t been programmed to see your appearance as your entire worth. When ageing actors like Sylvester Stallone and George Clooney are not only still valued for their contributions on screen, but are paired with twenty-somethings as love interests.
So what can we do? Firstly, cut your body some slack. You are not going to have the same butt that you had when you were 17 for the rest of your life, and that is alright. It is natural for bodies to change with time. Your body will not be better or worse, just different. Appreciating yourself as you are currently is an excellent way to accept what may come. Solidarity is also important. We need to build communities and networks with which to support ourselves and others throughout different phases of our lives. Without the ones I love, Mortality Crisis 1.0 would have paralyzed me. Instead, despite struggling with my future, I feel as though one day I might be able to embrace it.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
[feather_share show="twitter, google_plus, facebook, reddit, tumblr" hide="pinterest, linkedin, mail"]
By: Allison Mizzi/ SHEC
In early February, Modern Family actress Ariel Winter shocked the world by attending the Screen Actors Guild awards with visible breast reduction scars peaking out from her dress. Headlines read “Ariel Winter not ashamed of her scars?” and “Winter shows scarred chest from breast reduction.” Fans and critics alike were quick to judge and pick at her so-called imperfections, but the teenager took to Twitter, stating, “There is a reason I didn't make an effort to cover up my scars! They are part of me and I'm not ashamed of them at all.” Her words showcase her comfort with her choice and the result of this procedure.
Guys there is a reason I didn't make an effort to cover up my scars! They are part of me and I'm not ashamed of them at all. 🙂
— Ariel Winter (@arielwinter1) January 31, 2016
In a society increasingly obsessed with perfection in beauty and body, Winter’s words are refreshing. Contrary to popular belief, reduction mammoplasty — also known as breast reduction surgery — is a common procedure. Thousands of women are predisposed to develop enlarged breasts, while others develop them post-partum or from weight gain. The heavy chest weight can cause chronic pain in areas of the head, neck, shoulders and back and contribute to other health problems like poor blood circulation, impaired breathing and chafing of the skin. Large chests can also hamper athletic and exercise activities and may inhibit women from leading an active lifestyle. In addition to the physical consequences, self consciousness and unwanted attention can provoke anxiety in public or social settings, and women often suffer from low self-esteem and body image issues as a result of their breast-size. It is clear that large breast size can impact mental health and quality of life.
Breast reduction surgery removes excess breast tissue and fat, remodels the breast mound and trims and re-drapes the skin to encase the newly sized breast. The procedure is taxing, typically lasting three to six hours, and produces surgical scars either under the breast or around the nipple. The recovery period usually lasts one to two months, however, body image and satisfaction effects are often immediate. Winter’s comment rings true for many: “It was an instant weight lifted off my chest — both literally and figuratively … There's a confidence you find when you finally feel right in your body.”
Thank you all so much for the support, kind words, and happy birthdays! <3
— Ariel Winter (@arielwinter1) January 31, 2016
Stories of breast reduction surgery bring up important issues about how we view and judge female bodies. Ironically, before her surgery, Winter was often criticized for dressing in a way that was too “mature,” as a result of her large breasts. Unsurprisingly, after breast reduction, media sources found another way to target her body.
Moreover, scars shouldn’t be shocking or a matter of public scrutiny. Most of us have these intimate imperfections, which represent a story and hold pain, bravery and courage among other memories and emotions.
Lastly, the public’s opinion on choices made for personal, appearance or health-related reasons is not valid. Breast reduction is a personal choice, one that should be made in consultation with physicians alone. By expressing confidence in body-related choices, and speaking out against body-shaming, celebrities like Winter have the power to empower others to treat all bodies with positivity and respect.
Photo Credit: Getty
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
