Meconnaissance: Who are we? | Critical Theory. Lacan writes, “It is this moment that decisively tips the whole of human knowledge into mediatization through the desire of the other, constitutes its objects in an abstract equivalence by the co-operation of others, and turns the I into that apparatus for which every instinctual thrust constitutes a danger, even though it should correspond to a natural maturation…” (1289). The word meconnaissance is a French word meaning misrecognition, which Lacan uses to describe the illusion of the mirror stage. In other words, the infant sees his or her reflection as real, but the image is truly only an “imaginary mode”, as Gallop calls it. When we look at ourselves in the mirror, we anticipate what we could be, the “ideal I” that we wish to be, instead of what we really are. The Lacan quote above is fascinating because it describes not only how the mirror is a mediator of our concept of the “ ideal I”, but also talks about how others mediate our identity.
Ever Do Something Just So You Can Post About It On Social Media? You're Not Alone | Bustle. In largely unsurprising but all the same distressing findings from a new study, a third of Americans have done something — anything — just to post it on their social media. So that Swarm check-in at that gallery you didn’t even want to attend?
Or that Instagram pic you snapped with that creepy actor whose movies you haven’t seen? We’re on to your social mobility cache, pal. Hand over the iPhone and consider wasting your time with something you actually enjoy. These stats come to you from a survey commissioned by ICON50, a program launched by the Ford Motor Company that explores the plausible evolution of pop culture as it “encourages Americans to rekindle their sense of adventure behind the wheel of the all-new Mustang.” And before you side-eye the marketing scheme behind this branded research, consider some of the interesting information they surmised from a control group of 1,000 people. But here’s the best part: we’re all on to each other’s b.s.
Images: Giphy (2) Instagram: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (Part 1) | National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) Take a picture. Choose a digital filter. Write a caption. Upload. Now just wait for the "likes" and comments to roll in. A recent trend in the Instagram world is the use of pictures and profiles as “thinspiration”. Instagram has taken some action in response the pro-eating disorder content that has been developing. So have these social media bans and restrictions been effective? For more information on this topic, see the following articles: Eating Disorders Statistics « « National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. General statistics: At least 30 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder in the U.S. Every 62 minutes at least one person dies as a direct result from an eating disorder.Eating disorders have the highest morality rate of any mental illness.13% of women over 50 engage in eating disorder behaviors.In a large national study of college students, 3.5% sexual minority women and 2.1% of sexual minority men reported having an eating disorder.16% of transgender college students reported having an eating disorder.In a study following active duty military personnel over time, 5.5% of women and 4% of men had an eating disorder at the beginning of the study, and within just a few years of continued service, 3.3% more women and 2.6% more men developed an eating disorder.Eating disorders affect all races and ethnic groups.Genetics, environmental factors, and personality traits all combine to create risk for an eating disorder.
Anorexia Nervosa: Bulimia Nervosa: “Diabulimia:” Why is women’s body image anxiety at such devastating levels? We need to talk about body image. New findings from the 2014 British Social Attitudes survey reveal that only 63% of women aged 18-34 and 57% of women aged 35-49 are satisfied with their appearance. In a world obsessed with women’s bodies, we are bombarded with images of them, usually undressed, often in dehumanised pieces, at every turn. But though we see women’s bodies everywhere, it’s only really one body that we’re seeing, over and over again.
Usually a young, thin, white, toned, large-breasted, long-legged, non-disabled body. Funnily enough, that’s not what most women’s bodies look like. But the airbrushed media ideal is so powerful and so omnipresent that women find themselves comparing their own bodies to it anyway, and finding themselves wanting. Unrealistic media ideals of female beauty have spawned a multitude of “body confidence” campaigns, but many, like the Sun’s recently launched No More Skinny, only seem to want to shift us from coveting one ideal to another. Confused? Designing our own identities. With the help of the internet we have never been freer to sculpt our own identities, project the self we wish to portray. But does this freedom come at a price? The product or service at the heart of any business – whether it’s communications, manufacturing or retail – is planned, produced and promoted by a team of specialists including of course a designer. We are told that purpose and function is at the heart of good design.
In my experience working in digital communications, everyone in the team has an opinion about the design aspect of a product or service and many non-design jobs now demand you take an active role in some aspect of visual communication. And let’s face it, this isn’t surprising in a society that is saturated in visual communication. But what about the building of the ‘you’ that you want reaffirmed by selfies? Never have our identities, or perceived identities, been so malleable.
Perhaps its time for less design, more purpose. Exclusive illustration by Kenny Batu. Psst! Your phone is snooping on you. What you need to know and how to stop it – video | Technology. Why older women should become the new selfie generation | Fashion. If I mention the National Centre for Social Research I doubt you will be very thrilled, but bear with me. Tucked between percentages showing our plummeting faith in financial institutions and a touching belief in social mobility are some intriguing statistics on women and body confidence.
It’s satisfying and uplifting to learn that 71% of women aged 50-64 are entirely happy with the way they look. That’s a whole 8% higher than the figure for women aged 18-34. But which of these two groups is the one you see posting the ubiquitous “selfie” all over the place? I totted up my own selfies and there was one of my right eye (to show an eyeliner flick I was particularly proud of), one of me heavily disguised in a hat and dark glasses in France, and the one I took after my thrilling Illamasqua makeover (see main image). In fact, there aren’t many selfies of women in the older age groups at all and I wonder why that is. So should older women be staking our own claim on the visible media map? Rembrandt's lessons for the selfie era: why we must learn to look again | Technology.
Self-portraits have always reflected self-esteem. It was true in the Renaissance. It was true for Rembrandt, whose late works, which include many self-portraits, go on display in the National Gallery on Thursday. And it is true for us now. The current obsession with selfies – with makeup or without – reflects a surge in self-confidence that is both admirable and dangerous. A bid for immortality In the early Renaissance, the social status of the artist underwent a sea change. It is no surprise, then, that from the early Renaissance onward, artists began to make a bid for immortality. But the most telling sign, by far, of this growing self-possession was the new practice of self-portraiture – and when we think of self-portraiture, we naturally think of Rembrandt.
A lifetime obsession Rembrandt leaves behind 80 renderings of his own image, between paintings, drawings and etchings. And when we take a selfie, we are making the same statement. Rembrandt’s honesty The master gives us a clue. Fashion gets real: how the ordinary woman became this season's muse | Fashion. There is a zeitgeist which rainbows over and above fashion. That news ticker which runs through your head – I should buy a shoe with a chunkier heel, is gingham over, how many shirt buttons to undo? – is only half the story. The bigger picture, in which style expresses the big stuff – how optimistic we feel about the future, what “femininity” means at any moment, what we are nostalgic for – is usually swimming somewhere just out of focus in the background.
Pan out, right now, and this is what you find: fashion has tired of its ivory tower and fallen in love with reality. Fashion’s distillery usually filters the essence of the zeitgeist to create an idealised muse. But this year, designers turned this upside down, switching their idolatry to the real world. So it was striking to walk into Tommy Hilfiger’s show and see a catwalk piled with snow and dotted with fir trees, and even more surprising when the models were dressed sensibly for their surroundings. And then came the selfie.
Robots take you on an after-dark tour of Tate Britain - video | Art and design. Britain to arm Kurds fighting Isis in northern Iraq. The UK is to directly arm Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq and has sent a senior military officer to advise them, prior to what may be a larger Nato-led operation in the region. Britain has so far been a conduit for transporting non-lethal military equipment and ammunition sent by other countries, notably Albania, but has not itself sent firearms or munitions. On Wednesday, Britain delivered 10 tonnes of body armour, helmets and equipment. Albanian ammunition is needed since the Kurdish fighters have largely Russian-made hardware. Britain has been one of the last western countries to offer to arm the Kurds with similar decisions already taken by Italy, France, the US, Australia and some smaller countries.
British hesitation may have been in deference to objections from Turkey. The UK has been sending Tornados on reconnaissance missions. No 10 will not be sending arms to Baghdad until it has formed a government, due to completed by 11 September. Is it too early to buy a winter coat in August? HSBC warning over Scotland yes vote. 'Enormous challenge' to produce own Scottish currency. Tonight: The Food We Eat - Can't Cook or Won't Cook? We’re a nation obsessed with cookery shows, recipe books and celebrity chefs. Yet it seems we're spending less time than ever doing it for real. One in five families eat convenience foods at least three times a week and a government survey showed only one in six mothers cook from scratch every day.
In the first of four food programmes over the next fortnight, the Tonight programme investigates why some of us can’t cook or won’t cook and what can be done to get Britain back in the kitchen. The UK has the largest consumption of ready meals in Europe. Mia Harris would love to rustle up her son Zac’s favourite meal, shepherd’s pie. “My mum wasn’t one for a lot of home cooking or cooking from scratch and it kind of fazes me, it kind of scares me.
. – Mia Harris Mia is not alone. What’s the answer? Not content to wait until September, Tonight sought the help of top chef, Aldo Zilli, to teach a group of young people the importance of learning how to cook. – Aldo Zilli – Siham Mohammed – Nigel Denby. Tonight: The Food We Eat - Superfoods: Fact or Fiction? A long list of exotic and expensive foods are credited with improving health, boosting memory and combating life threatening diseases. But do so-called superfoods live up to the hype? ITV’s Tonight Programme decided to put one of the best known to the test. Blueberries are often referred to as the grandad of the superfood trend. The British public splashes out £200m a year on them. We enlist Newcastle University to test five ordinary women who agreed to eat two bowls of Canadian wild blueberries every day for 8 weeks – and the good news is that they can work.
Professor Mark Birch-Machin explains the two tests being done for the programme. “The first is really trying to find out how much antioxidant protection you’ve got. . – Professor Mark Birch-Machin In our short test, all five women benefited. Brits certainly seem to be embracing superfoods. The programme looks at coconut oil which is fast taking on superfood status among its advocates. And there are some critics of coconut oil. Christopher Bailey Burberry Shares Sale. Richard Branson backs campaign to take children on holiday in term-time. Sir Richard Branson has supported a campaign to allow parents to take their children on holiday during school term-time. Branson said childhood holidays were "invaluable", adding it was "really important that kids spend as much time travelling and learning as possible, from a young age".
He argued parents should not be punished for taking term-time family trips, citing the example of Janice Skelcher who was prosecuted for removing her children from school to visit family in Australia. Skelcher claimed the holiday was needed during term-time as she was caring for her mother who was terminally ill. The mother-of-two and her husband were given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £400 in costs for taking their children from school without permission. The issue of term-time holidays has been heavily discussed in recent months following a number of high-profile cases similar to Skelcher's of parents being punished.
Read: Parents fined over term-time holiday. Jeff Fromm: Millennials Are Rewriting the Future of Travel. It is no secret that the millennial generation has been making headlines as the largest and arguably the most influential demographic in the United States today. These young adults, born between 1977 and 2000, are changing traditional marketing schemas as well as the way organizations are thinking about their brands. One industry that has been and will be greatly affected by this powerhouse generation is the travel industry. Since 1914, when the first commercial flight took off from St. Petersburg-Tampa, the travel industry has driven a wave of technological innovation. Now, a whole new transformation fueled by the millennial generation will emerge. Millennial travel trends worth paying attention to: 1. When considering travel, millennials are almost twice as likely as non-millennials to book a vacation that includes outdoor adventure activities like mountain climbing, hiking, river rafting or camping. 2. 3.
When Boomers grew up, Cadillac was one of the most coveted “brand badges.” 4.