Sheffield Hallam graduate Jasmine Concannon created the event as part of her final project, which focused on linking social media and magazines to body dysmorphia.
‘Beyond the Mirror’ took place on April 10th at Kommune, Sheffield City Centre, collaborating with Pop Up Painting to raise money for the Body Dysmorphic Foundation (BDD).
Jasmine, the visionary behind the event, said: “I thought it would be a good way to unite people over such an important issue and the BDD foundation supported me all the way by sending me flyers and posters for the event.”
The event raised over £300 for the BDD Foundation.
Jasmine added: “I would love to do something like this again; the painting aspect is definitely a good way to raise money in general and the support was heart-warming.
“We painted Frida Kahlo to highlight self-confidence and it would be cool to focus on other local charities with a different topic to highlight in the future.”
The idea of painting was crucial to the event: to paint a picture of ‘acceptance’ and ‘empowerment’ celebrating women’s bodies.
According to the NHS website body dysmorphia is a mental health condition where a person spends a lot of time worrying about flaws in their appearance. These flaws are often unnoticeable to others.
People of any age can have BDD, but it’s most common in teenagers and young adults. It affects both men and women.
Those suffering from BDD often avoid seeking medical treatment due to the lack of research and instead opt for cosmetic procedures to temporally mask how they feel.
Mille Scott, 21 contoured her nose with make-up every day since she was 12.
She decided to seek private health care at 18 to get a rhinoplasty; however, her insecurities remain the same.
“I often use painting as an outlet for my internal suffering. I can see my face as a jumbled-up mixture of facial features, almost like Frankenstein’s monster or a patchwork face comprising all the wrong parts.”
The BDD Foundation only has three team members, making them a small business with limited funding, with Body dysmorphia being unrecognised and undiagnosed as a mental health disorder.
Julie Davies, 57, said: “Body dysmorphia wasn’t a thing when I was growing up, so I simply don’t understand it; I feel sorry for the younger generation as social media seems to heighten so many mental illnesses.”
Jasmine incorporated photography into the event, depicting women trapped by their BDD.
Around 20 people attended the ‘paint and sip’ event, which was described as a ‘safe space’ where creativity meets compassion with a night filled with laughter and shared experiences.
The artistic level varied from amateur to experienced.
Katie Saunders, 20, said: ” It felt amazing to let my childish side out again with painting for such an amazing cause.”
For more information about upcoming events, follow @beyondthemirrorx on Instagram.
