Picture perfect with Natural Confidence
A 16-year-old from Wheelers Hill has taken out first place in a photography competition, aimed at promoting positive body image. Christina Maniatakis claimed the prize ahead of 38 short listed entries in the Monash City's Natural Confidence Exhibition.
Christina's entry, entitled I'm More than Paper, shows a girl lying on a pile of scrawled up magazines. It is a powerful image in which the girl appears quite content to have her back to the glossy pages.
"My intention was to show my ideal body image, which is not dependent on physical appearance or unrealistic images and digitally-altered models," Christina said.
"I believe that positive body image is being comfortable with oneself, in conjunction with living free of society's superficial pressures."
What is Natural Confidence?
Natural Confidence came to fruition through the work of the Monash Young Person's Reference Group (MYPRG). They are a group of young people who live or work in the Monash area, brought together to advise the Monash City Council on youth issues.
Jessica Green, chairperson of MYPRG, said that choosing a winner amongst the top notch entries was a difficult task.
"We decided that Christina's photo was very creative and thoughtful," Jessica said. "It captured the essence of what positive body image is about, the message that we wanted to convey with Natural Confidence."
Body image a top concern
The idea behind Natural Confidence is to raise awareness about body image issues. Mission Australia's National Survey of Young Australians (new window) ranked body image as the top concern for young people in both 2007 and 2008.
The competition, open to 15-25-year-olds involved in the Monash community, is in its first year. Organisers intend it to get bigger and better as time goes on.
For more information about Body Image, check out our Body Image section.
Articles Written by Jesse
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