If you've been reading my art blog for a while, you're probably familiar with my comic series, Green Corner. Zalanda is the primary antagonist of the series and the older sister of Aena, the protagonist. You can read Zalanda's character bio on the Green Corner site.

There are certain subtleties to the character relationships in Green Corner. Of course, I want the characters to have depth and be interesting, but I also want them to seem like they could be real people aside from the fantastic setting. I draw some inspiration from my own experiences for that kind of natural feeling, but none of the characters are really modeled after anyone I know. Aspects of their personalities may be similar to people I know, and some of the things they say may be quoted from life; but that's as far as it goes.

Zalanda is a character that I find a lot of people are drawn to at first. I think my character design for her is very successful in this regard. She's beautiful and curvaceous; she's got the kind of look that other girls and women are envious of (even if they won't openly admit it).

One of the things that bothered me growing up was the image of the female ideal that girls are exposed to. Zalanda is very much a commentary on how that type of image can be hurtful to the self-esteem of other girls. Girls are incessantly told and shown that the ideal woman is thin, with a small waist and large breasts. No matter how much you may try to tune it out, when an often impossible to achieve image is out there that much, it only encourages a division and sometimes an elitist attitude from people who feel that they are more important because of their physical appearance alone.

There's nothing wrong with taking pride in your appearance, of course. But there is a difference between caring about how you look and being elitist about your looks.

For Green Corner, I made a point of making Zalanda the gorgeous older sister with an abrasive personality. She has a sharp tongue and never hesitates to speak her mind. She can seem rather cruel and dismissive. That's an intentional commentary on how a supposed ideal of female beauty says nothing about a person's worth or personality. External beauty is only physical.

It may seem strange for me to say this, since I'm a visual artist and a graphic designer; but I don't think that physical beauty adds a great deal more value to anyone. I don't think that a physically beautiful person deserves more good fortune than a person with average looks.

Like Zalanda, a woman can look beautiful on the outside but also be a sour, selfish, petty person. Zalanda knows when she's being hurtful, but she doesn't care about the feelings of others for the most part. She is the type of person who craves attention and will bully others in an attempt to gain power over them and distract from her own flaws.

She is very much a combination of female bullies I've met in my life. She spreads lies, shuns people she dislikes, and leads the crowd for no apparent reason. She is superficially popular. Others may envy that for a time, until they come to the realization that she's not the type of person you want to emulate in terms of actions and/or personality. Rather, she's the type of mean girl that other girls are glad to see fall flat on her face in a sort of karmic retribution.

Self-worth is an objective thing, a personal thing. Improving your appearance for yourself is great, but doing so for attention from others could indicate you need to look more closely at your self-esteem. In Pathfinders, a friend of mine was once asked by one of our Leaders why she was wearing makeup at camp, as there were no boys around. My friend smartly retorted that she was wearing makeup for herself, not for boys. Experiences like that that really made Guiding memorable for me, and encouraged me to feel better about myself. WAGGGS is a great thing for girls and women to become involved in.

Green Corner is very much a series about teen girls, for teen girls. I have specifically developed characters such as Zalanda to encourage teen girls to think more about what it means to be physically attractive, and if it needs to mean much for them. But I also want girls reading the series to take comfort in characters like Aena who are openly frustrated and envious of the supposedly ideal body image. Aena sometimes finds it annoying to be dismissed as "cute" in comparison to her voluptuous sister. Like a lot of girls, she worries and feels insecure about herself at times; despite being genuinely well-liked by many people, skilled, and charming.


It's a normal thing, but it can feel very isolating when you're a teenager. We need more positive influences for girls and women. We should be giving more encouragement to appreciate our own achievements and assets. Being a teen is hard, you will probably struggle and stumble many times. But don't forget that you are worth something, regardless of the nonsense written in magazines. If you really think about it, you already know how amazing you are.

Other things to check out on the topic of self-esteem and the feminine "ideal:"

• Dove's campaign for real beauty – a refreshing campaign that encourages girls and women to recognize that beauty comes in many shapes and sizes. I love that this campaign is honest about Dove products too and doesn't make exaggerated claims about moisturizer making you look youthful. A moisturizer promotes healthy skin, nothing more.
• Girl Guides of Canada is a wonderful organization for girls as young as five through to adulthood that promotes knowledge and self-esteem. Outside of Canada, check out the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (go to the "Our World" section to find the member organization in your country).
• Sex, Lies, and Photoshop a commentary video from the New York Times about the extent of Photoshop retouching in magazines and whether it should be disclosed.
• David Airey is a professional graphic designer and discussed Sex, Lies, and Photoshop on his blog previously. I'm glad to see that both genders are concerned about the topic of retouching and how it encourages negative self-esteem.
• The Photoshop Effect blog post by Sarah of Diet.com is a companion to the video of her experience on a professional photo shoot and having her image retouched. There's also a second video where Sarah and experts further discuss retouching.
  

What do you think about the topic of the feminine "ideal?" Any more articles or videos you'd recommend? yecrqwzm7f

Labels: art, green corner, theory, writing

This is an original short story I wrote as a companion piece to the "Naughty and Nice" image. I hope you enjoy reading it!

Naughty and Nice: Yule with the Eritsuro Family
Aena entered the living room, to find her older sister curled up on the couch in front of a roaring fire, reading a book. It was a Saturday afternoon, and it was cold outside. While Zalanda appeared to be enjoying the warm, cozy environment of the room; Aena was hoping to go outside and play in the snow. She was very much a child at heart.

There was finally enough snow on the ground to make a snowman, and Aena wanted to enlist her sister's help. She approached, and suggested going outside. Zalanda asked for a reason, complaining that it was "beastly cold."

"I wanted to make a snowman," Aena said, hoping the offer would be inviting. Zalanda was not interested in the slightest. She dismissed Aena quickly, telling her to make the snowman on her own as she didn't need help for that.

"Mom and Dad also want us to take a picture to put on cards for Yule," Aena reminded her.

Zalanda groaned in disappointment. "Seriously? What's the ridiculous theme this time?"

"Naughty and nice," Aena replied. "I get to be 'nice.'"

"Of course you do," Zalanda said, unsurprised and slightly annoyed.

Reluctantly agreeing to the photo shoot, Zalanda made a point of telling her sister that she would not be helping to make a snowman like the humans do. Aena would just have to play in the snow on her own, or find someone else to freeze with her. Aena accepted the deal, resolving to call friends over later.

With that, they dressed in their themed outfits and went outside. Their parents had warmed the air with magick, to make the scene more comfortable. Their father was grinning from ear to ear. He loved photographing his daughters, and it was always a fight to get Zalanda to participate. He'd hoped this theme would appease her, but she still appeared to be hoping to get things over with as quickly as possible.

Mrs. Eritsuro helped the girls with their placement, gave them tips on posing, and reminded them both to smile. Zalanda loudly complained that the whole thing was lame and childish.

"Really, Zalanda," he mother said disapprovingly, "Consider it a gift to your father and I. We do like to have pictures of both of you for keepsakes. It's not like you'll be living with us much longer."

"You're so dramatic!" Zalanda retorted, "I'll probably be here at least another four years."

"Four years that we'll treasure," her mother reminded her, "Now be cheerful. This is for Yule. Have fun with it."

"As long a Dad doesn't call us his 'little models' until we're done," Zalanda said, staring pointedly at her father as he adjusted his photography equipment.

Mr. Eritsuro denied ever calling his daughters models during a shoot. But, everyone knew he would have enjoyed working with them more frequently in his work as a professional photographer.

Aena looked over at Zalanda with a smile. "Just think, it won't be many more shoots before you move out."

Zalanda smiled in response, and decided to enjoy the shoot. She did look great in her outfit. And it was, after all, only once a year.

Labels: green corner, writing