I re-watched The Illusionists yesterday. (If you haven't seen it: brilliant documentary by Elena Rossini (you can read an interview with her here) about body image and about how advertisers create insecurity to get you to buy more stuff.)
What's interesting is how I really felt like I needed to re-watch it. Maybe I had been feeling shitty due to too much time spent online, on my phone, on Instagram, with ads getting beamed at me all the time. I was definitely starting to get the body image panic, and also a feeling of 'I need to get the fuck off my smartphone, which I will definitely do after I've read and reread just one more favourite post on Captain Awkward........' (*lifts dazed and tired eyes away from screen five hours later).
Anyway. So I revisited the amazing documentary (which by the way is so beautifully shot and so GOOD that I kind of just want to watch it AGAIN, TODAY) and I made a note to self in a notebook, which goes as follows:
'Every time I refuse to say mean things or think mean thoughts about my body, I'm sending a giant silent UP YOURS to the companies who make loads of money from making me feel insecure.'
And now for your benefit - here is a link to director Elena Rossini's blog posts about productivity in the digital age (there are lots more useful links in this one on 'How to become a successful digital minimalist', and I highly recommend getting lost down a rabbit-hole for a while, because this stuff is USEFUL.)
(FYI: I haven't turned my smartphone on all day. I'd call that a massive success.)
https://www.therealists.org/2019/11/3-key-habits-to-become-a-successful-digital-minimalist/
Love, CN x
ps. I've decided that every woman I'm friends with who hasn't already seen it is getting The Illusionists gifted for her birthday this year.
