Page 1

Yaqueline Hernandez

Professor McHugh

October 17, 2018

The Facade of Women Projecting Perfection

Being born a woman in any period of time is already a hardship, and adding constant

pressure from society to be “perfect” is sure to be draining. Women, every day, have to follow

toxic gender roles, and mold themselves to an unachievable image of perfection, all in hopes of

fitting into a social construct. Both Faraway So Close by Rafa Alvarez and Mascara by Aurelie

Sheehan argue that part of being a woman in modern society is having to put up a facade for the

rest of the world. Rafa Alvarez argues that girls are expected to project an image of perfection

through his use of lighting, colors, and objects, while Aurelie Sheehan argues that women are

valued for their exterior appearance through the list form and character in the the text while

creating imagery.

In Faraway So Close, Alvarez uses lighting placement to indicate that the girl in the

picture is strategically showing the clean side of her room in order to fit into society’s idea that a

girl should be well behaved and project an image of perfection. Rafa Alvarez creates a clear

contrast in the image of blue and pink. The blue areas show a mess of multiple items on the floor

and on the walls, including old pizza and dirty socks. On the other hand, the pink shows a

perfectly tidy and feminine section of the room (Alvarez). Alvarez argues that the lighting

contrast of pink and blue represents the gender-specific color which ties into today’s assigned

gender roles. The image contrasts between the mess of the room into the blue lighting, while the

tidy part of the room is in pink lighting (Alvarez). These colors are assigned a gender in today’s

society; pink is for girls and blue is for boys. Since pink is affiliated with women, the clean part
 Page 2
Hernandez

of the room is illuminated in pink in order to represent the expectations women face; cleanliness,

perfection, and the obligation to always seem put together. The contrast of the blue light is

associated with boys and masculinity, arguing that boys have more freedom when it comes to the

way they present themselves; whether it be through exterior appearance or their belongings. This

represents the girl’s reaction to society’s standards. She is strategically showing what she wants

others to see; perfection and an image of stereotypical femininity, due to this harsh contrast of

lighting. The girl risks embarrassment and shame in front of others by showing the rest of her

room, therefore creating a fake projection of herself through Alvarez’s use of lighting and color

contrast.

The objects scattered throughout the room in Faraway So Close indicate society’s

standards and rules for femininity being that of submissiveness that women must follow. In the

pink contrast of the image, all the objects are meant to indicate perfection. There’s a poster of a

young man with hearts around his face, a Bible, perfectly folded clothes, and she has wallpaper

with hearts and flowers (Alvarez). All these items are shown in contrast to the rest of the image,

because they represent how women and young girls are meant to not only be clean, but obedient,

and innocent and infantile. The Bible represents purity and it is a symbol for being submissive

towards a greater being. The poster of the boy is a symbol for girl’s obsession and dedication

towards men, and yet the crush is only seen as innocent because young women’s sexuality is

seen as pure and moral. In contrast, some objects in the blue lighting are a poster with a metal

band on it, a keg, and a few papers with bad grades on it (Alvarez). All of these object are the

complete opposite of the innocence that girls are supposed to portray. The metal band poster has

a skull on it, which represents a masculine side to her, as heavy music is usually associated with

boys. The keg is also an example of masculinity. Heavy drinking is associated with men and the
 Page 3
Hernandez

girl having it in her room can be seen as sinful and unladylike. The bad grades on the paper are

important because teenage girls are meant to be focused on their education in order to be taken

seriously, and her failing

destroys the image of a girl with dignity and perseverance for education. The young girl in the

picture is choosing to project the stereotype of a teenage girl in order to fit into today’s mold of

acceptance and the contrast of objects demonstrates her desire to fit into the binary of gender

representation, demonstrating the pressure to conform to a false identity.

Similarly, Mascara by Aurelie Sheehan argues that women are valued by their

inauthentic identity that society pressures them into performing. In Mascara, it’s argued that

women do a routine repeatedly for the sake of their appearance and for the acceptance of men, in

compliance with the demands of society. Sheehan states, “She showered. She used the shampoo

that smelled like bubble gum, but was really an exotic combination of rosemary and mint, and

she used the conditioner that went with it...And then she shrugged...And then she went to him”

(Sheehan). Even after going through an extensive routine of getting ready, the character still

shrugs at the end before leaving her home. Sheehan includes the shrug to argue that the woman

in the text isn’t content or completely happy with her outer appearance after her routine, yet she

still decides to “[go] to him” (Sheehan), which implies that she looks for validation in a man.

Mascara is an example of how women are expected to perform an inauthentic identity in order to

be accepted by society.

In Mascara, Sheehan uses the list form to create imagery for the audience, in order to

convey to the larger message that the routine of the female character is long, but she is

accustomed to the rigid physical expectations placed upon her. Aurelie Sheehan conveys the

imagery by stating, “And then she stood by the mirror and placed her makeup bag on the
 Page 4
Hernandez

sink...And then she sloughed her skin with something. And then she applied foundation to her

skin. And then she applied eyeshadow to her eyes. And then she applied eyeliner to her eyes.

And then she applied mascara to her eyes. And then…” (Sheehan). By using the list form, a

setting in the audience's mind is created in order to follow the woman’s routine more closely and

imagine it as if the audience were actually there. The imagery also helps the audience connect to

the character by bringing them into the woman’s personal and safe space. But, by not naming the

character, Sheehan is conveying that any woman can be in the character's place. This is because

the behavior of getting extensively ready and pampered for a man is normalized in society. All

the imagery is conveying the tedious and boring routine an unnamed character must go through

in order to feel presentable enough to step outside her home and into the world where her value

will be determined depending on the execution of the routine.

In Faraway So Close by Rafa Alvarez and Mascara by Aurelie Sheehan, both authors

argue that women to this day have to put up a facade in order to fit into society’s version of

perfection. In Faraway So Close, Alvarez uses lighting, colors, and objects to assert that girls

have to keep up an obedient and submissive version of themselves which is accepted by society,

while Sheehan argues that women are only valued for their effort of their appearance through the

use of character and the list form. Both texts use the intimate setting of the girl’s living space to

bring attention to an issue that many do not often get to see firsthand, therefore placing the

audience into a first-person perspective. However, while both authors coincide with the same

overall theme, Alvarez portrays a young girl that will keep performing her version of perfection

in order to comply to society’s expectation, while Sheehan describes a character whose identity

will never meet the satisfaction of society or herself. Moreover, both characters will continue to
 Page 5
Hernandez

put up the facade they were taught in order to conform into society’s pressure of perfection,

furthering the critique that both texts evoke of the harsh expectations for women.
 Page 6
Hernandez

Works Cited

Alvarez, Rafa. Faraway So Close. Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazine. 2015.

Sheehan, Aurelie. “Mascara.” One Hundred Histories. Spork Press.