By Justine Nichol.
“It’s not going to be easy, but it’s definitely
going to be worth it.”
A week ago today the much anticipated documentary, The Illusionists, was officially released – and we jumped at the chance to get our hands on it. After eight years in the making, we can certainly attest that it was worth the wait.
The Illusionists addresses everything that RAW Beauty Talks believes in from the perspective of documentary writer, producer & director, Elena Rossini. It is Rossini’s unique and comprehensive approach to the themes of body image and media literacy that really sets the film up to be impactful. So impactful that Rossini’s goal of starting a #bodyimagerevolution in order to #breaktheillusions has already begun to take off. Within only one day of the direct distribution launch, the film had reached over 22 countries around the world.
What makes this film truly unique is its scope. It is an unprecedented investigation of the globalization of beauty, featuring interviews from eight countries across four continents. Rossini provides a cross section of the world that reveals how beauty ideals have been heavily influenced by the Western concept of the perfect body.
The film goes so far as to describe this as “body colonialism,” a global epidemic that has been fuelled by corporate goals and the marketing of unattainable beauty ideals.
Here are just a few of the things that we took away from the film:
- A universal concept of beauty is point-blank unrealistic
- Economic decisions played an instrumental role in creating the body ideals we see now
- There are actually banks that have integrated plastic surgery loans as part of their marketing strategies (insert horrified gasp)
- While women have been heavily targeted in mainstream media, men and children are increasingly subjected to unattainable body image goals
- Pornography has infiltrated consumerism and advertising, including the sexualization of children in order to condition their perceptions at a young age
- Cellulite wasn’t even a thing until Vogue published it as a problem in 1978
- The line between virtual and real has been blurred to the point of digitally produced models – talk about unattainable
- The junk food industry is tightly linked to the diet industry – THINK ABOUT THAT
The list goes on and on – which is why you have to check out this film for yourself.
Once you do, we hope that the importance of debunking the global illusion of beauty resonates with you. While we have started to make serious progress in exposing these issues, this eye-opening documentary leaves us with the realization that we have so much more to accomplish. As the film comes to a close, we are left with a resounding message that hits home to team RAW:
“It’s not going to be easy, but it’s definitely going to be worth it.”
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To learn more about the documentary, visit: theillusionists.org/overview/
Here is how you can get your hands on it:
To rent or purchase, save up that coffee money (no, it won’t break the bank) and put it towards visiting illusionists.vhx.tv. VHX is a direct distribution platform that allows you to stream the film on any device – couldn’t be easier. There you will find the option to rent for $3.99, buy for $7.99 or even host a special screening at your school or company. Complete details are located online about how to go the extra mile and become an ambassador.
