Marleena Tedja

Challenging Women’s Beauty Standards in Media Through Type Design

Abstract

Various cultures have different definitions of beauty. However, due to mass media having an outsized role in conveying cultural norms about what is deemed beautiful, the distinct representation of beauty in many cultures may have been muddled. Cultures frequently exposed to Western media may have a particular perspective on female beauty, recognising that beautiful women should be white and slim.

Fortunately, in comparison to the 1990s, media portrayals of women are becoming more inclusive, integrating women of diverse ages, sizes, and ethnicities. However, some women may feel obliged to adhere to the westernised “ideal” beauty. As a result, their body images and self-esteem can deteriorate if they do not meet the standard, prompting them to doubt their value and negatively impacting their physical and mental health.

This research aims to challenge the way media represents women while also celebrating a much more inclusive representation of women in media presently. In this project, photographs are avoided to prevent inescapable social comparisons with other women in the media, and a typographic approach is selected instead.

Voices, a typeface inspired by the ‘voices’ of five women I interviewed and incorporated throughout the research project, was produced. The typeface was created using the drawings provided by the participants, emphasising their voices. The typeface aims to celebrate women in all forms and shapes beyond what is depicted in the media and challenge gender bias in typefaces. The typeface comes in three styles: whisper, talk, and shout.

The aim of phase 1 was to understand the issue of women’s beauty standards in the media through various women’s lenses by conducting interviews. This phase revealed how a campaign might not be suited to the project’s outcome, as it doesn’t highlight the different voices of women. That is why a participatory method was conducted, where the participants provided different lines that will be the bones of the project’s type design, providing a tool for everyone to use to speak up on beauty standards, celebrating the different forms and individualities of women.

The aim of phase 2 was to understand the potentials of a collective type design. This phase revealed how a collective typeface, named Voices, has the ability to not only challenge women’s beauty standards in the media, but also confront the general graphic design norms that are enforced upon us as well as breaking the individual authority by incorporating elements (lines) by participants. Voices typeface also challenges the gender bias found on type, discovered by its thick and thin shapes, blocky yet ornamental.

The aim of phase 3 was to gain feedback from the participants to form a collective outcome, that is why a second batch of interviews was conducted. This phase revealed how Voices manages to challenge women’s beauty standards and highlighting the participants’ voices. A new style was also introduced to fully complete the typeface. To introduce Voices further, a typeface information was designed and published on Behance, allowing more people to download Voices for free and utilise it as they wish.